Fit to be Dyed:  A Britin Easter Story
by Predec2
Summary: Brian and Justin have unexpected visitors for Easter...One welcome, one NOT so welcome...Easter short story.  *Story is now complete**
1. Hop On Over To My Place

_This is just a fluffy-type short story before I move onto the angst in "Heart's Desire," which I WILL be updating shortly. This story will probably be only two, maybe three chapters in length. Couldn't resist having Tricky make a return appearance to Britin for the holiday - hope you enjoy it.:) I will be posting the rest very shortly. _

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><p>DISCLAIMER: QAF and its characters are the sole property of Cowlip Productions and Showtime; no copyright infringement is intended.<br>========================================================================

_Brian returns home, hoping for a little private time with his favorite blond - only to discover ANOTHER blond there as well..._

_Two Days Before Easter Sunday _

Brian sighed in relief as he approached Britin, feeling like the weight of the world was finally lifting from his shoulders. This past week at Kinnetik had been total hell; on Monday, one major client had threatened to take his lucrative business elsewhere when one of his art interns had fucked up a storyboard by misspelling the client's company name, while he and Ted had wound up having to sit down with the IRS yesterday to go over a tax return for Kinnetik from two years ago that was being audited. Fortunately, all the paperwork was found to be in order, but due to his CPA misclassifying a business expense as a charitable donation instead the IRS had slapped Kinnetik with a hefty fine as a result. And last but not least, the heavy rains of a few days ago had caused a major leak in the conference room afterward, leading to a plumber robbing him blind when he was presented with his repair bill this morning. All in all, this week had been one that he was more than happy to forget.

He let out a deep breath as he turned into the gracefully curving driveway of his and Justin's home. As much as he never would have thought he would be comfortable living in the country, he could almost feel his blood pressure lowering as he continued up the drive toward the garage located around the side of the house. As he pushed the remote to open the garage door, he smiled as he noticed Justin's smaller SUV parked inside; he had been hoping his partner would be home from his trip to Columbus. When Justin had first told him that he had an art show in Ohio of all places, Brian thought he had been joking; nothing happened in a vanilla town like Columbus, did it? Turns out, however, that a wealthy art patron who had ties to the city had left a multi-million dollar endowment in exchange for a state-of-the-art cultural center being built, and Justin had been specially invited to display some of his work for the grand opening last night, along with several other up-and-coming artists throughout the Midwest. It was actually a great honor for his partner to be acknowledged in that way, and it had filled Brian with pride over Justin's continuing achievements, but he was extremely relieved to know that Justin was back home now because he was in need of some much-needed TLC at the moment – the 'special' kind that only his lover could provide for him.

He pulled into the space next to Justin's and turned off the 'Vette's motor, reaching over to the passenger seat to grab his suitcase before opening the door and emerging into the coolness of the three-car garage. The thick, insulated walls of the space belied the early April warmth outside; after a surprisingly mild winter, the spring was shaping up to be just as atypical – the forecast called for temperatures in the low '80's through the weekend, just the perfect weather for a long horseback ride with Justin into the hills surrounding their home. It had taken a while for his partner to become comfortable riding the smaller of the two horses they had acquired soon after moving in, but once Justin had become accustomed to riding him, he had become quite adept at it; he had the perfect lithe body for balancing adroitly on top of the stallion. He smiled to himself, thinking about the double meaning of Justin's talent at 'riding stallions' as he turned the door handle leading into the kitchen and prepared to greet his partner with a big, wet, sloppy, tongue-filled kiss.

As soon as he opened the door, however, he found himself greeted unexpectedly with a _different_ sort of wet, sloppy kiss. "What the fuck?" he muttered as a too-familiar, golden-haired, furry beast wearing rabbit ears launched himself enthusiastically at him like a missile; Brian tried frantically to grab onto the door handle in an attempt to brace himself but it was too little, too late. His shoes slid on the polished marble floor and he fell to the ground as Tricky placed his paws on top of Brian's chest and began to lick his face vigorously; his tail was wagging so rapidly that Brian could feel the dog's entire 130-lb. body shaking along with it like a mini, kibble-scented earthquake.

"Cujo!" Brian growled in irritated surprise; this was _not _the blond he had been expecting to greet. "Get off me, you flea motel!" He tried to huff out an angry breath, but he was finding it hard to use his lungs at the moment; it felt like an anvil was lying on his chest. He averted his head to the side as Cujo landed a long tonguing right on his lips and he wiped his mouth with his suit sleeve, feeling suddenly like Lucy in Peanuts as she flayed her arms and shouted in disgust about "dog germs - yech!" There was no doubt that THIS fur mountain had to have them in spades.

"Justin!" he sputtered out as he finally managed to gain a modicum of air when Tricky shifted his body just enough for him to re-inflate his lungs. "Justin, get in here! Shit!" He braced his hands on either side of the massive head to try and prevent his love-struck suitor from washing his entire face with drool and spit, but he was having difficulty preventing it; the dog was just too damn strong.

"Brian?" he finally heard his partner call out from the other room; he heard footsteps rushing into the kitchen as a familiar, excited voice shrieked out a few seconds later, "_Daddy_!"

Brian lay there immobile and imprisoned as Tricky continued to ravage his thousand-dollar suit while he greeted him joyously; he thought he detected a definite titter coming from his partner before he heard Justin ask quietly, "Would you two like to be alone, Brian?"

"Aaarrgggh!" Brian growled. "I'd like for you to remove this shaggy carpet from me before I get asphyxiated!"

"Tricky IS already fixed, Daddy," Gus supplied helpfully as he gazed down at his father in confusion.

Justin burst out laughing as Brian scowled up at him indignantly. "Get him off me, Justin!"

Finally, Justin pulled the bunny impersonator by his collar to release Brian from his captivity as his partner took another deep breath to restore some air into his lungs.

"Gus, why don't you take Tricky outside in the backyard for a while, okay?" Justin suggested.

Brian struggled to sit up as Gus nodded. "Okay, Papa," he told him. "We can work on our new trick to show Daddy."

Justin smiled. "Good idea; in fact, you can take over for your father, then, because he never gets a chance to work on any of his own tricks anymore," he told him as he grinned over at Brian impishly. "Your dad and I will join you in a little while, okay? I think he needs to relax a little first."

"Okay. Come on, Tricky!" Gus called out to his dog as he patted his jeans leg and ran toward the French doors leading out to the patio; fortunately for Brian the dog was more excited at the moment at the prospect of being let outside than continuing his tongue washing as Justin let go of his collar and the dog scampered over to join his master. A few seconds later, the boy and dog hurricane rushed outside as Brian let out a huge sigh of relief at the blessed silence.

Justin squatted down next to his partner and eyed him sympathetically as he brushed some hair back from his partner's eyes. "Hard day at work, dear?" he asked in falsetto as Brian scowled at him.

"What do YOU think?" Brian growled. "And just where did Gus and Peter Cottontail come from? I was under the impression we would be going to Debbie's to see them Sunday for Easter instead." While he always looked forward to spending time with his son, he wasn't too delighted that it came as a package deal now, even though over the past several months he had come to accept the fact that his son and Tricky were practically bonded at the hip; where one went, the other did as well. That was why Mel and Lindsay had been relegated to driving down from Toronto rather than flying. He had been looking forward to seeing his son again on Sunday, but he had also been hoping in the meantime, though, to spend some quality, private time with his partner this weekend before the circus came marching back into town.

"It was kind of a spur of the moment thing," Justin explained as he helped Brian to his feet. "Mel called right after you left today and asked if we could take care of Gus early. She said Lindsay broke her foot last night after she tripped on a hole out front in the sidewalk. She'll be fine," he reassured him as Brian opened his mouth to ask. "But Mel said she'll be out of action for at least a couple of weeks or more, and Gus really was looking forward to going on an Easter egg hunt tomorrow. I told her that we could arrange for him to hunt eggs here at Britin, since Debbie doesn't have much of a yard to hide them in. I offered to let Gus and Tricky stay with us this weekend and then we could take them back to Deb's on Sunday in time for dinner."

Brian sighed as Justin helped him take off his jacket and he pulled the tail of his shirt out of his pants; he was suddenly feeling an urgent need to get out of his constrictive - and now saliva-covered - clothes.

"You don't mind, do you?" Justin asked softly as he took hold of Brian's wrist; he supposed he should have cleared it with Brian first, but he knew how much his partner cherished the time he could spend with Gus, so he assumed it wouldn't be a problem.

Brian let out a long breath before he shook his head. "No, you know I don't," he said as he gazed into Justin's eyes, feeling all the pressure of the past week slowly dissipating, despite their unexpected company. "It's just been a hell of a week," he added. He curled his lips under as he admitted, "I was planning on spending some time alone with you beforehand, though."

Justin flushed at the thought of how Brian had been looking forward to being alone with him. "I guess this does change things, then."

Brian smiled at him wryly. "Just a bit." He glanced over at the back doors to see his son and Tricky happily romping back and forth in the fenced-in part of the yard. At least the weather was conducive to them being outside. "You think they'll be okay for a few minutes alone? You did say that I needed to _relax _first."

Justin smirked. "You're the only person I know that can make the word _relax_ sound so dirty." Brian curled his lips under playfully as Justin glanced over at Gus who now had Tricky sitting up, no doubt preparing to coach him on his latest talent. "Well, he did say he had a new trick he was trying to teach Tricky, so I imagine that will take at least a few minutes. And he can get the back doors open pretty easily, I noticed, if he wants to come back in."

Brian slid his arms around Justin's slender waist, pulling their bodies closer together as he leaned down to whisper huskily in Justin's ear, "Well, I know some _other_ blond who has a whole bag of tricks to make ME relax. Why don't you pull one out of your magic hat right now and help refresh my memory?"

Justin laughed at the cheesy statement as he pulled back to look into Brian's twinkling eyes; he reached down to squeeze Brian's cock through his suit pants, hearing an involuntary soft moan as he told him, "Well, let's go upstairs to the bedroom and I'll see what I can _pull_ out."

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><p><em>Twenty Minutes Later<em>

Justin stood at the upstairs bedroom window gazing out onto the backyard below, dressed once more in a pair of loose-fitting chinos in deference to Gus's presence for the weekend. He leaned back into Brian's embrace as he felt his arms sliding around his waist from behind just before his lover nuzzled his neck, his cheek tenderly rubbing against his.

Placing his hands on top of Brian's, he watched with a gentle smile as Gus instructed Tricky in his newest stunt: taking the curved handle of an Easter basket in his mouth as he trotted around the yard with it proudly. He chuckled softly as he watched Gus trying to catch up with the dog, who was apparently taking an inordinate amount of glee out of keeping the basket away from him. Somehow he had a feeling that the rambunctious animal hadn't quite gotten the entire operation down pat just yet, because Gus seemed a little perturbed with Tricky's attempts at evasion.

His gaze moved then over to the location of where their original stable once stood; he could just see the corner of what was left of his former studio's spot. What had been his remodeled, cozy and airy artistic hideaway was presently just a flattened, bare hole in the ground, the charred remains from the fire a few months ago having long been cleared and taken away. Justin had been forced to move his studio temporarily up to the top floor of the house, which was actually a lot more spacious, but it lacked the intimacy and charm of his former workspace. He sighed softly, unaware he was even doing it as Brian's hands tightened slightly around his body protectively.

Brian frowned slightly at the change in Justin's demeanor as he linked his hands with his. It always amazed him that no matter how much Justin painted, his hands were always surprisingly soft and always so warm, so very warm, to his touch. Unlike his own skin, which was stretched taut over his muscles, Justin's body, while trim and slender, wasn't as muscular; it was and always had been more curved and softer. It was one of the things he adored about him, along with so many other incalculable details. "What is it?" he asked softly against Justin's cheek in concern. As far as he knew, ever since they had overcome their differences at Christmas, Justin had seemed quite happy here at Britin.

"Nothing," Justin murmured back in response, silently chiding himself for being so melancholy. The space he was painting in upstairs had to be at least twice as large as his former converted studio, but out back it had been his own private space, his sanctuary where he could focus on his work and become lost in his creation. Upstairs it felt almost overwhelming in its largeness and it had an almost clinical feeling to it; there was none of the charm and ambiance that his former studio had had. It wasn't, though, as if he were relegated to some hovel somewhere; all of a sudden he realized how selfish he felt. He turned around in Brian's arms to bestow a smile on him. "It's nothing, really," he reassured him as Brian brought their clasped hands up against his chest and slowly caressed them as he gazed down into Justin's eyes.

"Bullshit," Brian said flatly, unconvinced; he knew every nuance of Justin's expressions and the tone of his voice by now to know he was outright lying to him for some reason. "Try again, Sunshine; although you don't look too 'sunshiny' to me at the moment."

"Gus…" Justin attempted to protest as he tried to remove his hands from Brian's grip, not as concerned with Gus's safety at the moment as his being so transparent and childish.

But Brian merely gripped them even more firmly as he shook his head. "You just saw Gus and he's fine, Justin; now out with it."

Justin sighed again, knowing he was caught; Brian wouldn't stop pushing until he confessed. "I…I just miss my studio space."

Brian let go of Justin's hands to slide his own around the slender back and pull him a little closer as he peered down into the sheepish and embarrassed blue orbs. "You just miss the smell of manure in the morning," he teased him. His face softened, however, as he noticed his joke didn't get the desired effect as he asked his lover more softly, "Justin, you have the entire top floor set up for your studio; why in the world would you miss that old stable space out back?"

Justin struggled to explain; he wasn't sure even HE knew how to make sense of it. "It's…It's just not the same, Brian," he told him. "It was…unique. It had a certain character and charm. It was separate from the house and was my own private place where I could put my shit wherever I wanted to and know that no one else would bother it and it would be right there the next time I returned. It was the first real space I had that I could call my own; it had good _bones_ and the best light in the afternoon." Back in New York, Justin had made use of the space offered to him by his agent, but this had been his first true art studio that he had ever owned, and he had quickly realized how much he missed it once he had been forced to relocate upstairs after the fire.

Brian felt his heart flutter at the mention of his ex-partner's old studio; that was one of the reasons why he had decided to tolerate Tricky a little more now than before, even though the dog still drove him fucking crazy. If it hadn't been for that mangy mutt needing to go outside that night, he might have never realized that both his son and Justin were in mortal danger. He had almost lost Justin that night, and any mention of his former studio always made him a little queasy over what could have been.

"I know it doesn't make sense," he heard Justin admit.

Brian let out a ragged breath, forcing himself to turn his attention away from that awful night as he leaned down to nudge Justin's nose against his, finding that it made him a little calmer just feeling his warm skin against his face. "Yes, it does…it makes perfect sense when it comes to _you_," he told him softly as he pulled back to look into Justin's eyes, those eyes that he could become lost in in a heartbeat. Justin always had been the sentimental type, so much more so than he was, even though he had changed somewhat over the years. Whether due to his partner's influence or not, he had finally reached the point where even he could appreciate tradition and permanence, and he knew that studio had meant a lot to Justin. What Justin _didn't_ know, though, was that he had every intention of having it rebuilt as a surprise to him. He just had to find the right time to do it; it would have to be during a period when Justin was gone out of town on one of his art ventures. For now, though, he would have to act like nothing remotely resembling that was in the works or it would spoil everything.

Justin smiled up at Brian in gratitude that he understood; it was a little scary sometimes that he knew him so well, but it also filled him with a feeling of being so loved that his partner went to all that trouble to do that. "I'm that transparent, am I?" he murmured softly as he gazed into Brian's face.

Brian's mouth curled upward. "Only to me, Picasso," he told him in reassurance as he leaned down to kiss the soft lips. He would have loved to resume Round No. 2 with his lover, but he knew Gus would be searching for them soon – along with his shaggy companion. Sure enough, he had no sooner pulled back from Justin than he could hear the rapid pitter-patter of human and canine feet scampering up the steps.

A few seconds later, Tricky came bounding into Brian and Justin's bedroom, a medium-sized, light brown basket clutched in his mouth by the rounded, arched handle. Tail wagging vigorously, the oversized bunny impersonator trotted directly up to Brian and dropped the basket at his feet; it wobbled slightly and threatened to tip over, but at the last minute it righted itself and miraculously remained upright. Brian jumped as Tricky let out a deep, booming bark of excitement over his accomplishment.

Justin burst out laughing at the sight; after what they had just been discussing it was a welcome intrusion to him, but he wasn't sure if Brian felt quite the same way. To his credit, though, his partner wisely chose to overlook his ardent admirer and address his attention toward his boisterous son, who came bounding in right after Tricky.

"Daddy! Papa!" he cried out proudly as he came rushing up to them. "Did you see him? I learned him a new trick!"

"_Taught_, Sonny Boy," Brian gently corrected him with a smile as he reached down to sweep Gus up into his arms; before he could do so, though, Tricky managed to get in a couple of licks to his face as Brian shrunk back in distasteful surprise; he glared at Justin who had snickered in reaction as he stood back up and held Gus by his butt as his son's arms wound themselves around his neck. Brian couldn't stay irritated at Tricky for long, though; all he had to do was look at his son's radiantly happy face and his own scowl quickly disappeared to be replaced by a look of tenderness. "You _taught _him a new trick." He looked down at the basket that Tricky had so deftly dropped at his feet to ask his son, "Is that what you've been trying to teach him, Sonny Boy?"

His son bobbed his head up and down as he beamed. "He brought it all the way in from the backyard," he eagerly reported. "Isn't he wonderful, Daddy?" He glanced down at the dog, who was now sitting near his father's feet; all it took was one look at him and Tricky's tail once more began to wag briskly back and forth.

"Yeah," Brian deadpanned at he looked down at his tormentor. "He's just _peachy_." He exchanged a look of barely-disguised tolerance with his partner over his predicament. "And just what he is going to DO with that basket, Gus?" he asked curiously as he turned his attention back to his son, almost afraid to find out.

"He's going on the Easter egg hunt with me, Daddy," the boy explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "He's a '_treiver_," he added helpfully. "That means he likes to pick things up."

"Your father enjoyed doing that_,_ too, when he was younger," Justin wisecracked as Brian gave him a dirty look.

"Gus, I'm not sure if it's a good idea for dogs to eat eggs," Brian told him. "Besides, that dog would eat the shell and all; something tells me that anyone who would likely eat his own feces does not have discerning taste buds."

Gus frowned at the unfamiliar term. "Daddy, what kind of food is _feces?"_

"Well, Sonny Boy, let me tell you. Basically it's just a bunch of sh…"

"Brian," Justin sternly admonished him with flashing eyes.

Brian shrugged. "He _asked_ me," he explained. He cleared his throat. "Let's just say that dogs tend to want to eat things that aren't healthy for them, and I'm afraid Cujo here would make a pig out of himself if he ate too many eggs. I think they could give him gas, too."

Gus's face brightened as a thought occurred to him. "You're always saying that we need more gas, Daddy," he pointed out. "So Tricky could help you out with that."

Justin covered his mouth with his hand in amusement briefly before saying, "Yeah, Brian, we can always use more gas with the high cost of fuel. I think you should let Tricky help Gus with his hunt. We can hide some treats for him to hunt while Gus finds the eggs."

Brian gently placed Gus back down on the ground and placed his hands on his hips as he told Justin, "Well, unless your taste buds have changed, Sunshine, we don't _have _any dog treats for a canine Easter Egg hunt," he pointed out.

Justin looked at him sheepishly as he admitted, "Actually, we do. When Mel called to ask if we could watch Gus and Tricky this weekend, I went to the grocery store earlier today and bought some supplies. After all, dogs can get an upset stomach or even diarrhea if you don't consistently feed them the same type of dog food."

"Oh, joy," Brian deadpanned sarcastically. "Thanks for the information, Dog Whisperer." He brushed his hand through his hair as he told Justin, "Well, before the Easter Bunny arrives tomorrow, I'm going to go _hop _in the shower." He looked at Justin hopefully. "Are you feeling dirty, too, Sunshine?"

Justin blushed at the overt seductive tone in Brian's voice that went straight to his cock. "Uh…Well…I guess I do have a few minutes before I need to start dinner," he said as Brian smiled in anticipation. He looked over at Gus to say, "How about you go wash up down the hall for dinner, Buddy? I think you might have just enough time to play with your train set before we eat." Brian had purchased Gus an outrageously expensive model train set for last Christmas when he had come to visit, erecting it in the spare bedroom down the hall on top of an old, wooden antique banquet table that the former owners had left in the dining room downstairs when they had moved out. The damn train set was so extensive that it took up the entire top of the rectangular, 10-foot-long table, but it had provided Gus with hours and hours of enjoyment. He wouldn't admit it to Gus, but Brian had actually been spending a lot of time enjoying it, too, although he seemed to derive perverse pleasure out of staging intentional train wrecks between the two locomotives that belonged with the set. Justin figured it harkened back to his old chemistry club days when he threatened to blow up his high school.

"Yay!" Gus shouted out in glee. "Come on, Boy!" he shouted at Tricky as he turned to rush out of the room. "Don't forget your basket!" he commanded as the dog hurried to follow him and promptly forgot to pick his basket up. To his credit, however, as soon as Gus mentioned the word _basket_ he pirouetted around and snatched the basket back up by the handle and trotted out of the room, close on Gus's heels.

Brian breathed out a sigh of relief as the two-team tornado left the room. "Fuck," he muttered. "I'm going to be damaged beyond repair before Sonny Boy and his new stunt dog leave."

"Ah…Poor baby," Justin cooed as he placed his hands on Brian's upper arms. "Don't worry, _Dad_; I'll protect you from that nasty old blond and his lethal basket."

Brian curled his lips under and slid his arms around Justin's waist as he replied huskily, "He's not the _only_ blond who has a lethal basket. Why don't you bring yours with you right now and put it to good use?"

Justin guffawed at the awful joke. "Well, since you put it so _romantically_…"

Brian grinned in triumph as the two came together for a deep kiss, both of them getting lost in the sensations generated by the clash of lips and tongues. It would be several seconds later before the two breathless lovers finally broke apart and headed off to the shower for some much-needed 'reacquainting.'

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><p><em>The Next Morning – Day before Easter<em>

Brian slowly roused from his slumber as the sun intruded through the partially-closed drapes of his and Justin's master suite. His eyes still closed, he blindly reached over with his left hand to grope for Justin beside him, only to come up with air and a cold bed. Unaccustomed to not feeling his lover beside him when he woke up – Justin normally being the late riser – he opened his eyes to confirm that his partner was nowhere to be found. Disappointed that he was apparently not going to be participating in a morning fuck fest with his lover, he sighed as he slowly sat up and pulled the thin, navy-blue sateen sheet from his body to arise from the bed to saunter toward the adjoining bathroom.

Dressed casually a few minutes later in a pair of dark blue jeans, Gucci loafers and a long-sleeved, black cotton shirt, Brian ambled down the hallway, faintly making out the sounds of conversation from the floor below. He smiled, quickly ascertaining exactly where his partner had run off to as he padded down the steps and stopped cautiously on the downstairs landing, afraid to make too much noise for fear that their _other _visitor would be poised for his latest attack. He breathed a sigh of relief as no such accosting was forthcoming as he walked down the polished hardwood hallway toward the sound of voices coming from the kitchen.

He stopped in amusement as he reached the archway leading into the kitchen, finding Gus standing on their wooden stepstool with a slotted spoon in his hand, an egg perched vicariously on top, as he shakily managed to place the colored oval object into a partially empty egg carton on the counter. "Advancing your art, Sunshine?" Brian drawled as he observed Justin using a small, slender paintbrush to apply swirls and other intricate designs onto some of the dried, colored eggs as he stood shoulder-to-shoulder next to Gus.

Justin grinned. "Well, I DO have a reputation to uphold, you know," he commented as he turned to look as his partner; even with tousled, wet hair Brian had that almost 'fresh-fucked' look and was incredibly sexy to him. He flushed at the knowing look Brian gave him; the damn man could almost read his mind some times, although he knew it didn't help that he could normally tell how he was feeling simply by looking at his face. When it came to Brian he always _did _have a hard time pasting a neutral sort of look on his face so he wasn't so obvious.

Brian looked around with a little trepidation before he asked, "Where's the Cadbury Bunny?"

Gus frowned as Justin clarified who he meant; the little boy's face broke out into a smile as he told his father that he was outside 'doing his business.'

Brian wrinkled up his face as he walked into the kitchen, at least feeling safe to wander about freely at the moment until his tormentor returned. "Justin, remind me to call the Turd Patrol when Cujo goes back to Toronto."

"Eww, Daddy," Gus protested as Justin laughed. "He's not THAT bad!"

Brian walked up to give Gus a kiss on the cheek from the side. "It's not the quantity, Gus, it's the size."

Justin grinned. "Now that's the man I know and love," he retorted. "Always emphasizing _size_ first."

Gus eyed him curiously, not really understanding what his father and his papa were talking about as Brian leaned down to give Justin a quick kiss on the lips. "You got it, Sunshine; otherwise you wouldn't have caught my eye in the first place."

"But Papa's kind of short, Daddy," Gus protested in confusion.

Brian grinned broadly. "Not where it counts, Sonny Boy," he told his son as Justin blushed. He smacked Justin on the ass for emphasis, making his partner wonder if he was referring to his cock or his ass before his brow furrowed as he realized the mess his two favorite boys were making. There were paint smears on the counter, along with cotton balls, icing tubes, construction paper and candy pieces lying everywhere nearby; even Gus's hands were dyed a distinct shade of bright green, his favorite color. Upstairs in his bedroom, Gus had green everything – green dinosaurs, green bedspread, green curtains, even a John Deere bed in the shape of a green and yellow tractor. It seems his color of choice had been transferred downstairs and was now threatening to overtake their gourmet kitchen, though. He sighed as he surveyed the damage. "Justin…"

Sensing what he was about to say, Justin quickly replied, "It's all water-based paint, _Dad_. It'll all wipe off with soap and a little water."

Still not quite convinced, Brian eyed the miniature cotton balls and frowned. "What are those for?"

"Papa's making egg sheep," Gus told him proudly, reaching over to grab one of the completed ones that Justin had already made.

Brian had to smile at Justin's creative use for Easter eggs – his partner had fashioned some sheep out of cotton, construction paper and what appeared to be brown pipe cleaners, along with a host of other animals.

"You have a regular barnyard there, Sonny Boy," Brian told him with a smile as Gus beamed back at him, clearly proud of his menagerie. Brian looked over at Justin with an appreciative, loving smile. "It certainly pays to have an artist in the family; no run-of-the-mill eggs with crayon markings in THIS house." Justin smiled back at him as he pointed out, "You do realize though, that all those fancy eggs you're helping to decorate will likely turn out to be egg salad later, don't you? That's an awful lot of work to go to just to end up in the garbage later."

Justin shrugged. "It's okay," he told him as he looked over at Gus's radiant-looking face. "It's worth it," he said softly. "_He's _worth it." His heart had felt so full ever since that day at Thanksgiving that Gus had indicated he wanted to start calling him _Papa_. Now every time that name rolled off his tongue so easily as if it were the most natural thing in the world it made Justin's heart soar. He couldn't love Gus more if he was his own biological child, anyway; ever since he had been born the day he and Brian had met for the first time, he had always felt a special bond to him. He was so grateful that that bond continued to this day, a relationship that had only grown stronger and deeper over the years.

"Sentimental twat," Brian whispered in his ear as he leaned down to kiss his cheek and hug his neck with his hand. He nuzzled his cheek with his lovingly for a moment before he pulled back, inhaling the sweet, familiar scent – a mixture of shampoo, after-shave, and just plain _Justin_. "Well, before Peter Cottontail comes bounding back in, I'm going to grab some coffee and check my e-mails – in the study – alone – with the door SHUT. Carry on, boys!"

Justin grinned as Brian poured himself a large mug of coffee, grabbed the glass sugar dispenser and a spoon from the drawer and promptly walked out at a brisk pace, obviously afraid his biggest fan would be coming back into the house soon.

"Silly Daddy," Gus told Justin as he shook his head. "Doesn't he know the Easter Bunny brings me my candy? NOT _Peter Cottontail."_

Justin gingerly placed the newest member of Britin's animal menagerie down on a glass plate adorned with fake green grass – a green frog this time with beady-looking eyes that Gus had dyed himself – before he told Gus solemnly, "I'll make sure your father knows that, Buddy. You think you should go check on Tricky? He may want to come back in by now." He figured now was a good time since Brian had had enough time to safely squire himself away inside the study.

Gus nodded as Justin handed him a wet paper towel so he could clean off his green-colored hands before he jumped down off the stool and walked over to the double French back doors, finding Tricky waiting impatiently on the other side to get in. He was proudly holding up his Easter basket in his mouth by the handle, just as Gus had taught him.

"Good boy! "You're such a smart dog!" Gus praised him as he opened the door for Tricky to enter; the dog wagged his tail furiously at Gus's words as he came trotting into the kitchen, his nose sniffing the air enthusiastically as if he had detected the intoxicating scent of his favorite adult. Justin patted Tricky on the top of the head sympathetically as he walked up to him. "Sorry, Tricky," he told him. "Your idol has already made a quick getaway." The dog actually seemed disappointed as his tail drooped slightly in reaction; almost like a deflated balloon, he turned and walked over to plop down under the nearby kitchen table with a groan as if he were distinctly downtrodden, dropping the basket unceremoniously by his feet. A few seconds later, he lowered his head to the floor, peering his big, golden eyes sadly over at Gus and Justin as he lay there motionless.

Justin had to grin; it was as if Tricky knew Brian was trying to evade him. He actually felt sorry for the dog in a way, but he knew it was for the best; the farther away he and Brian remained from each other during Gus's stay, the better. That didn't mean, though, that he wouldn't spoil the dog just a little while he was there; after all, the dog had inadvertently saved his life and had been partly responsible for him and Brian making up afterward, which had been the most pleasurable part of it by far. He flushed just at the memory of Brian actually scooping him up in his strong, muscular arms and _carrying_ him up the steps that night; Rhett Butler had nothing on his gorgeous and chivalrous partner.

"Don't worry, Boy," he murmured at him. "I'll make sure the Easter Bunny brings you plenty of goodies to hunt for tomorrow." Tricky briefly raised his head at the sound of Justin's voice, only to slowly lower it back down to the floor dejectedly as he realized Brian wasn't there with him; he let out another mournful sort of groan as he lay there, his luminous and expressive eyes staring over at him.

"I'm not the _only _drama queen," Justin remarked dryly as he grinned back at the dog. Although he couldn't blame him – he had the same sort of feeling himself whenever Brian was away on business or he had to go away himself because of his art. Feeling inexplicably sorry for him, Justin reached up on his tiptoes to open the top cabinet directly above him and grab one of the cellophane bags containing some jerky treats. At the sound of the bag's zipper being opened, Tricky's ears perked up as he quickly rose to his feet and trotted over to Justin's side, his melancholy over being separated Brian temporarily forgotten.

"Oh, I see we have something _else _in common; a good appetite for treats," Justin told him with a smile as he grinned over at Gus. "But you'll have to work for yours first." He held the bag out for Gus. "Here, Buddy."

Gus stepped up on the stool and took the bag from Justin; he reached in to pluck a strip from the bag and hold it out for his dog. "Sit!" he commanded as Tricky promptly sat down and looked up at him expectantly. "Speak!" Immediately a loud, rumbling bark erupted from his companion, making Justin jump slightly at the noise.

"Good Boy!" Gus praised him once more as he tossed the treat into the air and it was deftly caught; the dog took no more than two bites before he promptly swallowed it, licking his chops in appreciation as he gazed up at Gus eagerly for an encore.

"One more," Justin told him, not wanting to stuff him too much; the dog already looked like he had gained some more weight since the last time, even though he still appeared to be quite trim. Leave it to Brian's son to adopt a dog who turned out to be a mammoth. "Don't want to spoil his dinner later," he explained as Gus nodded.

"Okay, Tricky, shake hands!" The dog obediently held out one shaggy, giant paw toward Justin, who grasped it and gave it a hand-to-paw shake.

"Nice meeting you," Justin teased him as he shook it a couple of times before releasing it. He watched as Gus lofted the second treat into the air and Tricky once more caught it in mid-flight before he gobbled it up in no time.

Gus gave the bag back to Justin as he held his hands up to say, "That's all, Cujo." Justin laughed at the nickname as he placed the bag back into the cupboard. Tricky remained rooted to his spot for a few moments until he was sure that was all he was getting before he finally turned and trotted over to the end of the kitchen next to the door leading out to the garage; a few seconds later, the rigorous lapping of water could be heard as Tricky took a long drink from his water bowl before picking up his tennis ball lying nearby and trotting over to place it down at Gus's feet.

"Looks like somebody wants to play," Justin said with a smile. "You go on; I'll clean up here and put the eggs in the fridge until tomorrow when we do the Easter egg hunt."

Justin helped Gus down from the stool as the little boy scampered off toward the back doors, Tricky close on his heels; the basket temporarily forgotten until it was needed tomorrow. Taking a few minutes to restore the kitchen back to its normal appearance, Justin wiped his hands off on a blue, terry-cloth kitchen towel nearby before walking down the hallway in search of his elusive partner.

Quietly opening up the study door, Justin slipped inside, noticing his partner bent over the laptop at his massive, oak desk; it was such a different piece of furniture from Brian's sleek, glass and chrome desk at Kinnetik, but here at Britin it fit in perfectly. At the soft closing of the door, Brian looked up from the screen, his face softening at Justin's appearance. "Where's the _other _blond?" he asked dryly as he craned his neck around his partner's body cautiously.

"Don't worry," Justin reassured him. "He wanted to play with his tennis ball, so I sent him and Gus outside." He walked up and sat on the edge of Brian's desk, facing him. "He wasn't the _only_ blond who wanted to play with a ball."

Brian's eyebrows rose as something else rose along with them. "Oh, is that right?"

Justin's lips turned into a playful grin as his eyes shone mischievously. He leaned over the desk until he was mere inches away from Brian's face as he whispered in a low voice, "Yeah. I haven't played with MY favorite ball in, oh, at least several hours now."

Brian's smile widened as he replied, "Well, that's quite a coincidence, because I haven't played with _my_ favorite ball in several hours, either."

"Balls," Justin corrected him helpfully.

"Little shit," he muttered as he accepted a gentle kiss from his lover. Just as Justin pulled back to break the kiss, Brian reached around his neck and promptly smashed their lips together once more, his tongue pushing forcefully between the slightly parted lips to press its way inside. Justin moaned softly at the sensation as he accepted the intrusion readily, his hands cupping Brian's face firmly as their kiss deepened. Brian held onto Justin's shoulders firmly as he established dominance, letting his lover know in no uncertain terms just how much he wanted to 'play ball.'

Finally after several seconds, he released Justin's lips with a decided pop, noting with satisfaction the swollen appearance and flushed skin on his partner's face. He stood up as Justin scooted off the side of the desk, taking Justin's hand in his to tug him toward the study's door. He paused before opening it, turning to Justin to advise, "Let's make a run for it before Cujo tracks us down," as he peered his head out into the hall, noting with satisfaction that all appeared quiet. Grasping Justin's hand tightly, he flung the door open wide and quickly began rushing toward the steps, his partner trying frantically to keep up with Brian's longer strides.

Just as they reached the steps, however, they could hear the distinctive sound of the two back doors being opened and footsteps clattering on the hardwood floor in the kitchen. "Quick!" Brian hissed. "Run for your life!" In true noble fashion, he began to take the steps two at a time, leaving Justin far in the figurative dust as he tried to keep up with him. A few seconds later, the thundering of what sounded like hooves sounded behind them as a hairy, golden flash rushed past Justin on the stairs, almost knocking him over as Tricky boisterously ran up the remaining steps seemingly without any effort, gaining quickly on Brian who barely made it to the landing before his greatest fan promptly knocked him over onto his back.

"Ooomph!" Brian sputtered out through his lungs as Tricky sat down on top of him, his tail wagging so hard his entire body was undulating atop Brian's and making it feel like Mt. Vesuius erupting on his chest; the lime green tennis ball in his mouth was quickly discarded before the bunny-eared dog began to lick Brian's face vigorously, the thump, thump, thump of the ball sounding as it bounced, step by step, down the stairs. Justin caught the drool-coated ball in his hand nimbly as he bent down to scoop it up and jogged up the remaining steps, seeing Brian lying prone on his back, his arms flung out beside him in captivity. He was twisting his head from side to side as he tried unsuccessfully to avoid Tricky's adulation.

"Get him off me!" Brian choked out, incredulous that he had once more been subjected to canine tag team wrestling. "This damn dog must weigh a ton. What are they feeding him – elephant chow?" He took his hands and tried to forcefully remove the dog's furry body from atop his, but it was no use.

Justin merely stood there in amusement, the ball in his hand as he loomed over his partner. "Brian, I told you before – if you and Tricky want to be alone…" He looked behind him to see Gus hurrying up the steps now. "Gus and I can find something else to do…"

"Don't you _dare_!" Brian managed to hiss out indignantly, his face red with irritation. "Get…This…Dog…OFF…ME!"

Justin once more took hold of the dog's collar and firmly but gently pulled him off Brian, leaving his partner to wonder why Justin could handle him but he couldn't. Still holding onto him, Justin said to Gus, "Buddy, can you go get Tricky's leash from your bedroom for me?"

Gus nodded; before he left, though, he asked Brian, "Are you going to take him for a walk, Daddy?"

Justin guffawed as Brian sat up stiffly, feeling like a ton of bricks had just been removed from his chest. His breathing labored, he muttered under his breath, "Yeah…off a short pier."

"Brian," Justin warned him as he looked over at the little boy. "Maybe we can do that later, Gus. I need for you to go get the leash now, okay?"

Gus nodded once more. "Okay, Papa," he told him as he turned and dashed down the hall toward his room; thankfully he returned several seconds later with the much-desired item as Justin clipped it to the dog's collar and pulled him far enough away so Brian could finally rise slowly to his feet. He heard his partner groan in discomfort as he rubbed his lower back with his right hand.

"That dog should be classified as a weapon of mass destruction," he grumbled as he eyed him warily. He sighed in frustration; not only was the dog much too rambunctious and untrained to be inside the house, but he was always interfering greatly with his and Justin's normal fucking schedule. Going without fucking his partner for more than 12 hours at a time made him horny as hell and full of pent-up frustration, and this dog had succeeded in managing to spoil all of his best-laid plans - emphasis on the _laid_ part...

Justin let out a heavy breath; his partner wasn't the _only_ one who was feeling sorely neglected lately. Holding on tightly to Tricky's leash, he told Brian, "Why don't you go relax in the bedroom and I'll be in shortly? You can do some work on your laptop until I can join you."

Brian looked at him, unconvinced; the past couple of days had certainly not been what he had expected; why should now be any different? "Shortly?" he repeated, just to make sure he had heard him right. "_How_ shortly_?"_

Justin shrugged. "I don't know – an hour maybe?" he offered. "Then we can _work out_ in the Jacuzzi together," he added suggestively, leaving no room for misinterpretation. "I'll come and join you as soon as I can, I promise."

Brian glared over at his adversary, still doubtful that things would proceed the way that Justin was promising. "Our Jacuzzi only has room for two," he advised Tricky, who was staring up at him in what appeared to be a hopeful expression, even though he had no fucking idea how to interpret canine facial expressions. "Doggy paddling is NOT allowed in there."

"But Tricky likes to swim, Daddy," Gus pointed out. "He's a _good_ swimmer. And you let _Papa _do it."

Brian frowned. "Do _what_, Sonny Boy?"

"Doggy style. The last time I was here I heard you tell him how hot he looked in the Jacuzzi when he did it doggy style. Why does HE get to do it but not Tricky?"

Justin turned beet red as Brian rubbed his hand over his face in awkwardness. He reminded himself to make sure his and Justin's bedroom was firmly shut the next time they discussed their sex lives when Gus was visiting.

"The water in the Jacuzzi is way too hot for dogs," he finally told the little boy when he thought of a reasonable explanation. "But you and Tricky are welcome to go swimming in the pool later this summer when it gets warmer out, okay?"

Justin exchanged a relieved look with Brian as Gus nodded, satisfied with that explanation apparently. He had to pull back on the leash as Tricky began to strain against him, noticing just how correct Brian had been; the dog was incredibly strong. It was all he could do to hold onto him as he told his partner, "Go on, Brian; I'll hold onto him until you can make your escape and then I'll be in as soon as I can."

"Good," Brian told him with the hint of a smile, noticing that Justin's face was still pink. "We can practice your _dog paddling _some more when you get there."

Justin's face turned a shade darker as he replied in embarrassment, "Brian…_Go; _you're not helping here."

Brian grinned evilly as he began to back away from the 'scene of the crime,' keeping his face toward Tricky to watch for any sudden moves. Once he had safely managed to place enough distance between him and the dog, he hastily turned and strode firmly toward his and Justin's bedroom, throwing out a quick "Don't forget what you promised!" at Justin before yanking the door open and then closing it behind him. Once the door was closed, Justin unhooked Tricky's leash at last and the dog shot off like a rocket toward the bedroom door, coming to a sliding, slippery halt directly in front of it where he proceeded to whine longingly for Brian and scratch on the door.

Justin could clearly hear Brian's exasperated voice through the door as he barked, "If you put one mark on that expensive door, Cujo, I'll throw you in the Jacuzzi myself! Amscray!"

Justin huffed out a weary breath; what day was it again? _Oh, yeah…Saturday_. Which meant they had one more day to go before he could finally take their furry zealot and Gus back to Deb's for Easter dinner. Perhaps there was something he could do to change that up just a little, though, he thought, because truth be told as much as he loved Gus dearly – and felt a certain amount of gratitude toward Tricky after he had helped save his life – he, too, had been looking forward to some private time with his partner.

"Come on, Gus," he urged the little boy. "Let's take Tricky out for a little more practice with his basket so he's ready for the Easter Egg hunt this afternoon, okay?"

Gus bounced lightly on his feet and clapped his hands in delight, looking forward to when he could explore the grounds of Britin as he searched for the eggs he and Justin had decorated, along with the other goodies that Justin had promised to hide for both him and Tricky. "Yay! Tricky!" he called out excitedly. "Let's go out, Boy! Go find your basket!"

The word 'out' had the desired effect on the dog as to Justin's relief he stood up and trotted back down the hall toward his master . He placed a hand on Gus's shoulder companionably as man, boy, and dog, walked down the hallway toward the steps, providing Brian at last with some temporary relief from his most zealous admirer.


	2. Tricky Finds A New Toy

_Tricky continues to run amok at Britin to Brian's consternation; the boys finally get some much-needed 'private' time thanks to a certain grandma..._

* * *

><p><em>One Hour Later <em>

The sound of someone knocking on the door was music to Justin's ears as he finished making some macaroni salad in the kitchen. "Gus, why don't you go see if Tricky is ready to eat now while I answer the door?" He knew the promise of food might be the only incentive that could possibly tear the dog away from his vigil in front of his and Brian's bedroom – Tricky had come down long enough to go out for a while, but then had promptly trotted back up the steps immediately afterward in search of Brian; while Justin figured his partner would probably stay hidden in there for a while longer in an attempt to stay away from his admirer, he knew the dog was just stubborn enough to park himself in front of the door forever if that's what it took for Brian to re-emerge eventually.

"Okay, Papa," Gus told him as he hurried down the hallway and stood at the bottom of the steps; Justin placed the bowl of salad in the refrigerator before turning to follow him toward the door.

"Tricky!" Gus shouted out boisteriously as Justin winced - heaven forbid if his stepson should go UP the stairs to fetch him. "Time to eat!" He clapped his hands in invitation.

From his place by the bedroom door, the dog's ears perked up at the sound of the word _eat_; he sat there for a few more seconds, sniffing the air tentatively, before he finally rose to his feet and trotted over to the steps to descend them quickly and take his place by Gus's side, his tail wagging happily as thoughts of more jerky treats filled his head.

Justin shook his head in amusement and smiled at Gus as he recognized the familiar figure on the front porch; he turned the antique crystal handle to open the door, preparing himself for the _other_ hurricane that was about to blow in...

"Sunshine!" Debbie squealed as she swept Justin up into a tight bear hug; Justin felt the air compressed out of his lungs for several seconds until the woman finally let him go to repeat the same procedure with her grandson, who came eagerly rushing up to greet her with his faithful shadow in tow.

"Grandma, I can't breathe!" Gus protested in her arms soon afterward as she finally let him go reluctantly; not before she had reached out and pinched a rosy cheek for good measure, however. "Ow!" he cried out as he shrunk back from her in an attempt to get out of reach and rubbed his cheek with the palm of his hand. It wasn't exactly a surprise to receive a Debbie Novotny greeting of this manner; Gus had gotten used to expecting it by now and he loved both his grandmas to death, but he didn't exactly care for her over-the-top method of greeting that came with all the other good parts to her.

"You are just cute as a button, Honey!" she remarked as she turned her gaze to study her grandson's enormous beast standing next to him. "You know, I've said it before, but that is the biggest dog I think I have ever seen, Gus; I swear he looks like he gained weight since I saw him yesterday. What in the fu…_World_ are your mothers feeding him?" she asked Gus. "Stray cats?"

"No, Grandma," he told her in exasperation as Justin covered his mouth with his hand to keep from laughing. "Dog chow," he told her with a distinct sort of _duh_ tone.

Debbie's mouth formed into a round shape as she nodded solemnly, a twinkle in her eye as she looked over at Justin. "Ohhh," she told him with a nod. "Of course." She leaned toward Justin to mutter under her breath, "More like _elephant _chow."

Justin snickered. "That's the same thing Brian said."

Tricky wagged his tail as Debbie peered down at him, delighted to be getting so much attention. He dutifully lifted his paw up in the air to shake hands as Debbie snorted. "I don't think so, Big Yeller; who knows _where_ that paw has been."

"What are you doing here, Grandma?" Gus asked her curiously as he obliged Tricky by shaking his paw before letting go of it.

Debbie knelt down in front of Gus. "I came to spend time with _you_," she told him with a smile. "You didn't think I would miss you hunting Easter Eggs, did you? Are they are all ready to go? I can just imagine what works of art your Papa here came up with," she told him as Gus nodded excitedly.

Debbie dodged an attempt by Tricky to give her a big kiss on her cheek while she was kneeling by Gus's side as her grandson's face lit up with a wide smile. "Yeah. He helped me paint them. And he made some egg _animals _for me, too - they are so neat! You want to see them?"

Justin's heart swelled at the excited and proud tone in Gus's voice; this _Papa_ stuff was still relatively new to him, but he was absoluting relishing the role nonetheless.

Debbie smiled as she stood up and took the little boy's hand. "You bet I do, Kiddo," she told him as Gus began to pull her toward the kitchen; Tricky followed along closely behind them. As Gus began to tell her about his 'animals,' Debbie twisted her head around to call out, "Tell Brian to get his ass downstairs to say hello – _after_ you finish _taking care_ of him." The wink Debbie gave him told Justin that she knew exactly what he was planning on doing; Brian could thank her later for being a much-needed distraction for them, but for now he wasn't going to waste one second of their precious time.

Grinning in anticipation (finally!), he nodded as he took the stairs at a brisk pace, arriving at his and Brian's bedroom door in record time. He slowly turned the doorknob, poking his head in as his heart stopped in his throat. Brian was lying on top of their made-up bed, his legs crossed at the ankles as he languidly stroked himself while he pillowed his head on his other hand and stared intently up at the trey ceiling where they had installed a large, beveled mirror a few months ago. When Justin had come home from an out-of-town trip and had first noticed the 'remodeling change' Brian had undertaken in his absence, he had thought it was the tackiest thing he had ever seen. But after making love under it – especially in the flickering glow of the fire nearby – he had soon changed his mind. Being able to see Brian in all his glory from above as he fucked the living daylights out of him had to be one of the hottest things he had ever seen. And to see his bare cock sliding into him from a side angle? Holy shit; nothing compared to that, except for the actual, physical sensation of doing it raw with the man he loved.

He stared over at Brian as he locked the door behind him; his lover turned his head at the sound of the click of the deadbolt to return the gaze, one elegant eyebrow arched in silent question.

"You started without me, _Mr._ _Kinney_," Justin told him reproachfully. He slowly walked toward the bed as one side of Brian's mouth turned up in that little-boy, _what-did-I-do?_ sort of way that Justin always found so endearing.

He knelt on the bed near Brian's side with his knees, his body sinking into the luxurious memory-foam mattress as he smacked Brian's hand away from his cock firmly. "Did I not promise you that I would be up within the hour?" He reached out and replaced Brian's hand with his own, hearing his partner breathe out an appreciative sigh through his partly-opened lips as he began to slowly stroke the hard, hot flesh expertly with his long, pale fingers. By now he knew precisely how to manipulate Brian's cock to get exactly the reaction he – and his partner – wanted. He almost enjoyed giving Brian pleasure as much as he enjoyed receiving it when he was able to produce just the right type of response in him like he was doing now. It gave him an inordinate feeling of overwhelming power to know that this still glorious-looking man could be brought down merely by his touch.

"Well, I've been UP for a while now," he replied tongue-in-cheek. "And you seemed to have your hands full earlier," Brian murmured as he gazed into Justin's eyes, drinking in the sight of his beautiful partner who was much too overdressed at the moment; a tantalizing peek of skin was showing under the V-necked, dark-red, long-sleeved tee shirt that Justin was wearing; it was always one of his favorite shirts on Justin because it complimented his skin tone perfectly, but at the moment he wanted to see more – _much _more.

"Well, I have my hands full NOW and I don't hear you complaining," Justin told him with a twinkle in his eye.

Brian grunted as Justin gave his shaft a firm squeeze. "That's because you're doing that thing again with your fingers," he breathed out with difficulty, his entire body thrumming with desire over the sensations Justin was engendering at the moment. He couldn't help glancing up at the mirror above them to watch as Justin continued to pump his shaft on the down stroke with his hand, only to lightly scrape his fingernails along it on the way up. It drove him fucking crazy when he did that and his reaction was written all over his face at the moment.

Justin grinned – a sort of smug-looking grin in Brian's opinion – as he asked him in all innocence, "You want me to stop?" He knew Brian was watching what he was doing above and he knew how much his partner got off on being a voyeur to their own sexual activities.

He finally lowered his gaze to dwell upon Justin's face as he growled out, "You know the damn answer to that, Sunshine. Fuck – don't stop," he demanded, placing his hand on top of Justin's as he felt his body quickly reaching the culmination of his desire. "Ahh," he hissed out as he arched off the bed, marveling at how Justin was so in tune with exactly what turned his body on the most that he could make him come simply by giving him a fucking hand job. No one else had ever been able to do that to him before.

Justin grinned down at him as he increased the pressure on Brian's cock, pumping it possessively now as he licked his own lips in reaction. He knew this was just a prelude of more to come (smiling at the double entendre) as he watched Brian's telltale tensing of his body muscles, knowing his partner was close to tumbling over the precipice of pleasure. Sure enough, a few seconds later his lover let forth with a loud moan as hot, sticky seed exploded from his body, coating Justin's hand and even staining his shirt.

Brian slumped back onto the bed, feeling boneless and spent as he released Justin's hand, watching through heavy-lidded eyes as he observed his partner bring his hand up to his lips and slowly suck each finger off, one by one. "Shit, that's so hot when you do that," Brian told him breathlessly.

Despite his brazenness, Justin flushed at Brian's tone of voice as he supported himself on his elbows and leaned down to let Brian taste himself on his lips; it didn't take long before he draped himself completely on top of Brian's chest so they could deepen their kiss, the only sounds heard for several seconds consisting of soft moans and sighs of appreciation. As Justin finally broke the kiss and rose up once more onto his knees, Brian reached up to fist Justin's come-stained shirt in his hand. "Too many clothes," he told him gruffly. "Off."

Justin smirked as he pulled the shirt up and over his head, noticing Brian's eyes raking over his form hungrily. No matter how many times they were together, he would never get tired of that look of desire that made him feel so heady and sent a thrill rushing through his body. He reached down to grip Brian's left hand. "Let's take this over to the Jacuzzi," he murmured as Brian obediently allowed himself to be pulled up from the bed. A few seconds later they were standing face to face; they kissed again, deeply but more briefly, as Justin turned with his hand still clasping Brian's to lead him toward the master bathroom.

As Brian followed along right behind him, he knew Justin was deliberately swishing his delectable ass from side to side more than normal, and it was having the desired effect on him, too; his dick was beginning to spring back to life just like Justin no doubt knew it would. Surprisingly, though, it no longer worried him that Justin knew him so well by now; on the contrary, since they had become faithful to only each other that knowledge had actually become freeing, not binding. If he had to spend the rest of his life making love to only one man, he couldn't imagine anyone else he would rather do it with. Besides, when you already had the best, why would you need anyone else?

As soon as they had reached the Jacuzzi, Justin dropped Brian's hand to lean over with his backside to him and take his shoes and socks off; a few seconds later, he began to slide his pants and briefs down his legs before he heard Brian command in a low voice, "No. Let me."

Justin smiled with his back to Brian as his lover knelt to pull his pants and briefs down the rest of the way and let him step out of them. As he stood there naked – slightly chilled in the cooling air – he was rewarded soon with a pair of hands that lightly caressed his butt cheeks almost reverently before they slid around his waist. He could feel Brian's cock perched full and heavy as it lay against his butt cheeks as his lover pulled him closer flush against his lean, long frame. His body temperature spiked as he felt Brian nip his lower ear lobe, the hot breath ghosting on his skin as his partner asked, "How long do we have? The boys outside?"

Justin grinned at Brian's use of the word _boys_. "As long as we need," was the wondrous answer as he explained, "I called in reinforcements," he panted out as Brian's hands began to roam all over his chest now, stopping briefly to glide over his hardened nipples before they started a downward trek over his upper arms and down toward his hands to link with his. "Deb's downstairs…I…I thought she might like to be here…When Gus goes on his Easter egg hunt."

Brian brought Justin's hands up to his lips to kiss the knuckles before replying huskily, "Well, I'm going on my own hunt right now; thank God for Deb and the Easter bunny!"

Justin giggled as he turned in Brian's arms and they begin to kiss once more. He would never divulge this to another living being, but as much as Brian might vehemently deny it in public, he could do foreplay with the best of them; his partner could bring him to the peaks of exhilaration so many times merely by kissing him with that talented mouth and tongue that his sort of teasing prior to the 'big event' should be firmly outlawed. This was no exception as Brian proceeded to thrust his tongue inside his mouth as his hands let go of his to begin their journey downward, gliding over the sides of his body before they curved over his ass and pushed him hard against him once more. He moaned into their kiss as his cock began to throb for some much-needed attention as it brushed against one quite similar in need to his own.

"Brian," he managed to gasp out as they broke apart from their kiss and his lover began a trail of saliva and butterfly kisses across his neck and then onto the tender hollow between there and his collarbone; it was one of Justin's touchy spots that always made him hum with desire and Brian knew it; of course, Brian knew every conceivable erogenous zone on his body by now and liked to torment him with that knowledge at every opportunity. Of course, while it made him crazy it also made him horny as hell and deliriously happy each time. He struggled for coherent speech as Brian's lips began to glide toward his shoulder. "Brian, please…"

Brian lifted his head to stare into the darkened blue eyes; even without hearing the ragged desperation in Justin's voice he could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted the same thing he did: to be inside of him, feeling his compact, tight body surrounding him, filling him until he almost burst from the sensation, _completing_ him as only Justin could do. "Tell me," he demanded softly, knowing what his lover wanted but still wanting to hear it. It was the same demand he always asked of Justin each time they made love, but he never tired of the answer. "Tell me what you want, Justin." He slid his hands up to cup Justin's face to hold it in place, worshipping the beautiful, flushed countenance signaling how aroused he was. It was one of his biggest turn-ons, to know how much he affected him.

Justin's breaths came out in pants of anticipation as he whispered, "I want _you_. I want to feel you inside me. I want you to explode all over me…and mark me as _yours_." Gone was the playful bantering of before when they had been in the presence of Brian's son; the waiting was almost too much for both of them to bear now that they were finally, miraculously alone again and their kidding of before had quickly become replaced with something much more primitive in nature.

Brian whispered out, "I AM yours; always," before he impatiently swept Justin up into his arms and carried him the few paces over to the Jacuzzi; Justin wrapped his legs around Brian's waist as his partner carefully stepped over the rim and sat both of them down into the swirling, pulsating jets of water, too caught up in his aroused state to even realize that Brian must have been anticipating his arrival to already have the Jacuzzi ready for them. Justin's hands wound around Brian's neck as he sat on his lap and they came together for another kiss, the steam of the water mixing with the perspiration on their foreheads as the water sloshed around them. As they continued to kiss, Brian's hands reached down to curl around Justin's ass as he slowly caressed the fleshy cheeks that he loved to explore. Justin moaned softly in need as Brian took one hand and swept it up along the rim of the Jacuzzi to find the small tube of waterproof lube lying there. Popping it open by feel, he removed his other hand long enough to squirt some into his palm as he dropped the tube back where it had lain and, never breaking the kiss, slowly slid his hands back around Justin's ass. Slowly, he teased the puckered opening before one long finger poked tentatively inside. He felt a slight jolt in reaction from Justin as they finally broke their kiss and his lover hissed out simply, "More...God, I need m_ore_."

Brian nuzzled Justin's cheek as he slowly slid a second finger inside, then a third one; he stopped briefly as Justin gasped slightly to allow him to accommodate the added intrusion before Justin nodded against his skin to signal for him to continue and he stretched the opening farther apart, impatiently wanting to replace his fingers with his cock. There was nothing – _nothing_ – like feeling only wet, hot skin between the two of them, and once they had discovered how fantastic fucking felt in the hot tub that they had had installed in their master bathroom after moving in, it had become one of their favorite – and most erotic – ways to make love. "Justin…" he whispered out, his own voice thick with desire as he gazed into the darkened blue eyes full of need for him. "Give it to me, Sunshine. Give it _all _to me; fuck, I love you," he found himself confessing openly, unable to stop the words from flowing just like the water surrounding them. He licked a trail up Justin's neck as he felt him shivering under his touch; a few seconds later, he felt Justin lift up slightly, aided by the buoyancy of the water, just before he impaled himself expertly on Brian's steely, throbbing dick.

"Yessssss," Justin hissed out at the feeling of sliding completely down onto Brian's body as they joined as one; there was a decided slap of water as they came together like two expert, perfectly formed pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. He held tightly onto Brian's chiseled, muscled shoulders as he lifted himself up once more and slammed himself back down onto Brian's cock, hearing his partner's vocal moan of appreciation.

"Shit, Justin!" he groaned out breathlessly, throwing his head back in ecstasy. "God, so tight...Always so fucking tight," he marveled as Justin used his hands on Brian's shoulders for leverage to begin rocking up and down on his dick, curving the angle of his thrusts to hit his prostate each time and driving his arousal to a near impossible level. He knew he wouldn't last long this time, and he suspected by the grunts and moans coming from his lover that Brian wouldn't be too far behind him. He could feel Brian's fingers digging almost painfully into the flesh of his buttocks as he continued to pump himself up and down on Brian's cock, rocking, rocking on each down stroke, his chest hitting against Brian's each time as he curved his fingers over Brian's shoulders and dug into the corded muscles. Almost of one accord, their lips sought each other's for a rough, violent kiss as they continued to move toward climax.

"So good," Brian breathed out raggedly as they finally broke off their kiss, Justin's movements picking up noticeably as he continued to slide up and down on Brian's cock. "Fuck," he huffed out breathlessly, grasping Justin's ass even tighter as he demanded gruffly, "Do it, Justin. Come for me. Do it NOW!"

That was all it took for Justin to explode, even without Brian so much as touching him; just the gruff, possessive and guttural sound of his lover's voice sent him over the edge with an explosive release as he somehow managed to rock even harder against Brian's chest for a few seconds longer, enough to make Brian cry out in reaction, his loud moan echoing off the bathroom's marble walls as his seed shot into Justin before he slumped backward against the wet, cold hardness of the tub's interior. He lay there, spent and sated in fulfillment as Justin fell against him, limp and exhausted. He cradled Justin's body against his as Justin nestled his head under Brian's chin; Brian could feel his partner's heart pounding – or was it his? – as they lay together in silence, his arms slowly coming up to embrace Justin's smaller frame and hold him close against him.

The pulsating jets of the water continued to coalesce around them as they slowly regained some sense of normalcy after a few minutes. Justin lifted his head to look into Brian's eyes with a lazy sort of smile. "That was…" He was still finding it hard to speak, even now, and that look of love shining back at him in Brian's eyes was making his heart do a somersault. He would never get tired of seeing that look – or hearing Brian professing his love out loud to him. Brian didn't always do that when they made love, even though he had no doubt of his devotion to him – so when he did it always made him deliriously happy. He figured he probably had a goofy sort of look on his face right now, but frankly he didn't give a damn.

Brian smiled in amusement – he knew that look and what had caused it. "Yeah…it was…" He fished for the right word to properly describe it before he simply settled on "indescribable." He reached up to wipe some of Justin's wet hair away from his eyes, eyes that were staring into his with a mixture of love, awe, and contentment, probably much like his own at the moment. "Absence certainly makes the cock grow harder," he wisecracked as Justin laughed softly.

"Something like that," he responded with a grin. He sighed. "I really needed that."

Brian harrumphed. "YOU? My dick was about to shrivel up soon if I didn't get some more."

Justin laughed. "I got news for you, California Raisin; I think it may be shriveling a little right now. We've been in here for so long it's starting to turn cold – or didn't you notice?"

Brian looked down at his softening cock, seemingly checking to make sure Justin wasn't correct. "My cock or the water?" he asked facetiously as he grinned over at Justin.

Justin reached down to playfully curl his hand over Brian's cock. "No," he told him, his eyes sparkling. "The water's getting cold, but I think this particular part of your anatomy seems to be just fine and dandy to me. In fact, it seems to be coming back to life right now."

Brian stood up, pulling Justin along with him. He reached over to turn off the Jacuzzi and release the plug as he smacked Justin soundly on his right butt cheek. "Glad to hear it, Hot Stuff," he retorted as Justin snorted in reply. He stepped over the lip of the Jacuzzi, reaching up to help Justin down as he retrieved a nearby bath sheet from one of their chrome towel racks. "Because this particular dick isn't quite done with your tight little ass."

Justin grinned up at him as Brian cocooned him inside the large, white fluffy cloth. "Well, that's very convenient, because my tight little ass isn't done with your big, bad cock, either."

Brian laughed as he playfully rubbed Justin's face with a corner of his towel. Using the flaps to pull Justin toward the bedroom, he turned him around as they approached the bed to push him down onto the mattress, his partner's smaller frame bouncing up and down slightly on the surface as the towel flopped opened to expose his damp, tantalizing, creamy-colored body. He could see Justin's cock twitching back to life under his intense scrutiny as he curled his lips under and uttered two words: "_Prove it." _

Justin grinned. "No problem – only…"

"What?" Brian inquired as he placed his palms down on either side of Justin's body and loomed over him, his cock itching again to get back to that oh-so-warm and tight space that it knew and loved so well.

"Can we do it face to face? Somehow getting up on all fours for you to fuck me or rolling over as you like to so quaintly put it doesn't have quite the same appeal at the moment as it normally would."

Brian laughed as he began to crawl up the bed, feeling Justin sigh in pleasure as their now hard cocks rubbed up against each other once more. "I think that can be arranged."

* * *

><p><em>An Hour Later…<em>

Debbie glanced up from her place at the back patio's round, glass outdoor dining table as the two 'lords of the manor' finally emerged from the house; she noticed with a knowing smirk that both men had wet hair, no doubt from taking a shower after their latest fuck fest. She glanced down at her watch. "Only ninety minutes…you must have felt really rushed this time."

Justin blushed as Brian walked up to Deb and placed a peck on her cheek before responding, "Nice to see you too, Deb." He took a place next to her side, helping himself to a glass of ice tea from the pitcher sitting on the table. He eyed Debbie's latest shirt – one of probably hundreds she owned by now – as she grinned broadly. "Like it?" she asked as she pinched part of it proudly with a couple of fingers. The yellow shirt was tame, actually, by Debbie's standards, featuring a couple of chocolate bunnies - one with no ears and one with no ass or tail. The words _My Butt Hurts and What? _were written underneath them. "Cute, huh?" she said.

"It's the most exquisite thing I've ever seen," Brian wisecracked as she smacked him on the arm.

"Asshole," she muttered as Brian grinned back at her.

Justin walked up behind him as he flashed a grateful smile at his friend. "Thanks for watching Gus and Tricky for us," he told her as he leaned over to hug her neck and kiss her on the cheek as well. "We both needed that." He sat down next to Brian as he looked around, noticing how quiet it seemed all of a sudden. "Where ARE Gus and Tricky, by the way?"

Debbie grinned. "I sent them out to get the mail," she explained. The mailbox was located at the very beginning of their driveway, thankfully located slightly off the road with one of those boxes that had a two-way door so they could retrieve the mail from the other side without having to leave the fenced-in premises. It was one of the things Brian had done quietly on the side to help protect his son and had gone unnoticed by everyone else except Justin, which saw through it in an instant. Brian had insisted on having a custom-made mailbox constructed for their home, though; none of those "plastic Playskool shit" mailboxes as he so creatively put it for THEIR abode. No, their mailbox was an exact miniature replica of Britin, complete with shutters, a door, and even fake little bushes near the front façade. The front door was where the mail flap normally was, and a flag pole with a Kinney family crest as its flag was the mail alert that normally looked so dull otherwise. Justin thought it was very ingenious, albeit much too flashy for his taste, but Brian seemed to have gotten a sort of kick out of having it commissioned and it kept Gus safe from harm, which was the main reason for it, so he went along with it anyway.

Brian exhaled a sigh of relief as he nodded. Taking a sip of his tea, he placed it down as he confessed to Deb, "That dog is a handful."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise. "He's fine around me," she told him. "He seems pretty well-behaved so far."

Brian's eyes bulged as he exchanged a look of shock with Justin. "Uh…Excuse me. Are we talking about the same creature here, Deb? Big, hairy beast? About 130 pounds? Paws the size of Hulk Hogan's arms and a constant supply of spit and drool? Someone who doesn't know the meaning of _restraint_ or obedience?"

"Are we talking about Tricky or _you_?" she cracked with a grin as Justin chuckled, quickly plastering on a serious expression as he noticed Brian shooting a glare his way.

"Oh!" She suddenly remembered something as she reached under the table to retrieve her large-sized purse that doubled as a catch-all for everything else. "I almost forgot," she told Justin as she smiled over at him. "I bought YOU a shirt for Easter, too."

Justin's eyes widened in trepidation as Brian snorted in glee. "Oh…Deb, you shouldn't have…really."

"Nonsense, Sunshine! It was on sale and I instantly thought of you when I saw it – it's _perfect_ for you!"

Brian covered his mouth in amusement, hardly able to wait and see what goodie Debbie had found for his partner as she reached inside her oversized bag and plucked out a white tee shirt. She held it up for Justin to inspect it as Brian twisted his body around to take a look. "Look!" she cried out in excitement with a wide smile. "Is this like fate or what?" she asked him, hardly able to contain herself. "This was MADE for you, Picasso!"

The white, short-sleeved shirt featured a cartoon, Bugs Bunny like rabbit holding a paint brush in his mouth as he examined a painted Easter egg on an easel. Underneath the drawing were the words _Easter Egg Artist. _"Can you believe it?" she asked enthusiastically. "Somehow I knew you would get all wrapped up in helping Gus with his eggs, and I was right! He showed them to me a little while ago, Sunshine. They're wonderful! You're so creative!" She held the shirt out toward Justin as he glanced over at Brian helplessly who seemed to be having way too much fun at the moment. "Here," she said. "Put it on!"

Justin looked like he had just swallowed something extremely distasteful for a few seconds, but his cultured upbringing couldn't let him hurt Debbie's feelings, so he plastered a smile on his face as he nodded and took the shirt from her. "Well…maybe I should wait until the Easter egg hunt. I wouldn't want to get it dirty or something."

"Aw, come on, _Sunshine_, put it on!" Brian urged him as he crossed his arms over his chest and surveyed his partner's look of discomfort. The shirt was cheesy as hell, but he was enjoying tormenting Justin over having to wear it anyway. "I'll go get the camera – we'll need it for Gus's Easter egg hunt later."

"No!" Justin cried out as he pulled the shirt back toward his body and held it bunched up in his hand against his chest. "We don't need it just yet." He gave Brian a look that could kill – well, anyone _else_, anyway. Brian merely grinned even more as he stood up and told his partner, "Nonsense! I'll be right back. Make sure you're wearing it when I return so I can capture this moment for posterity. When you're an old, well-known artistic legend we'll all look back on this moment and laugh."

"Yeah…Right," Justin muttered. "I'm having a good old belly laugh right now on the inside," he said as he smiled uneasily over at Debbie who returned the smile with one of her own. Sighing in resignation, he pulled his tee-shirt off and, hesitating for a just a moment, slid the other shirt on over his head, tilting his chin down to look at the pink-colored, comic bunny now resting firmly on his chest and feeling decidedly foolish.

Debbie eyed it approvingly. "It fits perfectly, Sunshine; you look adorable, Honey!"

"Just _scrumptious_!" Brian gushed as Justin glared at him. He turned to fetch his camera just as his son and Tricky came bursting out of the house through the back doors. To Justin's relief, Brian immediately sat back down in his chair as the dog seemed to be making a beeline straight toward him, scooting up in his chair toward the table in an attempt to keep as much distance between him and his overzealous admirer as he could. He quickly placed his hands on top of the table, hopeful that they – and his face – would remain lick-free.

"Hi, Daddy! Hi, Papa! Look what Grandma got for me!" Gus crowed as he came running up; he had on a royal blue, short-sleeved t-shirt with the words _Grandma's Honey Bunny_ emblazoned on it.

Brian looked like he might be getting a migraine as he replied drolly, "I never would have figured that out." It upset his fashion sensibilities greatly to see his son in a shirt that must have come from a horrendous discount store, but he knew how much Debbie doted on him so he diplomatically chose to bite his tongue, silently vowing to make sure that shirt was firmly packed away with the clothes Gus would be leaving with. If not, it would be promptly burned at the first available opportunity, because no son of his would be caught dead wearing that shirt out in public where he might be recognized.

Justin smiled, in spite of the fact that he felt rather silly at the moment wearing his OWN 'bunny' shirt. "Uh, Deb…Where's _Brian's_ shirt?"

Debbie snorted. "Are you kidding, Sunshine? I couldn't find a G-rated one that properly described him; they don't make them."

Brian smiled. "I'm sad and traumatized over that oversight, Deb," he told her as she snorted. He glanced around, realizing that he hadn't been assaulted yet by his fan club president. "Uh, Gus, where's Tricky? Not that I want to encourage him, but I know I saw him follow you out of the house a few minutes ago."

Gus turned his head toward a corner of the fenced-part of their yard, casually saying, "He's over there chewing on his new toy."

Justin frowned as all three of the adults glanced over toward the back of the enclosure, noticing Tricky reclining as he gnawed on something; he was deftly holding whatever it was between his two massive front paws as he happily chewed away. "New toy?"

Gus nodded as he looked at Brian. "He went upstairs to look for you, Daddy, and came back down with it." He turned to look at Justin as he asked, "Papa, did you buy him that toy for the Easter egg hunt? He was really excited about it and I guess he couldn't wait," he explained.

Justin looked over at Brian in confusion before he told the little boy, "I didn't _buy_ Tricky any toys, Buddy. I _did_ get him some dog biscuits, jerky treats, and a couple of rawhide bones – oh, and I _did_ buy him a couple of new tennis balls." He glanced again over at the dog who seemed blissfully content with his treasure before observing, "It looks like it's a gold color, and his tennis balls that I got him are lime green. Where did you say he found it again?"

Gus shrugged as he reached over and helped himself to a couple of pastel-colored, iced sugar cookies that he and Debbie had baked while Brian and Justin were upstairs. "Not sure," he said with his mouth full. "Somewhere upstairs."

Brian's face darkened as a feeling of dread came over him. "Oh, no…No WAY!" He stood up as he stared over at the dog and his eyes narrowed in horror. "No! Tell me it's not my Golden Vein! That was brand new! I'm going to kill that dog!"

"Oh, shit," Justin murmured as he grabbed his partner's sleeve, realizing what Brian must be referring to. "You don't think he'll choke on it, do you?"

Brian's face turned red with anger as he pushed back his chair and slowly began to walk toward the back of the yard. "If he doesn't I'll choke him myself; he has my new _dildo!_" He took off at a run toward his adversary as Debbie burst out laughing and Justin pushed back quickly from own his chair to go after his partner, afraid that Brian might actually make good on his threat.

Gus frowned. "Grandma, what kind of a toy is a dildo?" He had no idea what it was, but he _did_ know it must be terribly exciting if his father and Justin's reactions were any indication. "I can let Daddy play with some of MY toys if he wants to. Tricky really seems to like that one."

Debbie cleared her throat. "Uh…It's, uh…" She sighed; for once in her life the words failed her. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath as she watched Tricky rise to his feet and take off for the opposite corner of the yard, Brian and Justin in hot pursuit. "It's…uh…Well, when two people want to play…" She grimaced, finally settling for advising him, "Let your father explain when he gets back from his game of tag," she finally replied. She reached for the plate in the middle of the table. "How about another cookie?"

* * *

><p>Brian threw off his lightweight leather jacket and ran frantically toward his target who seemed to be taking inordinate pleasure in their game of <em>catch me if you can<em>; Tricky's tale was wagging furiously as he suddenly spun around a few feet away to face Brian and, front paws flat on the ground and butt sticking up in the air, let forth with an excited bark as he dropped the dildo on the ground. Brian could see deep teeth marks all over the tip as he groaned. "A hundred and seventy bucks – that fucking thing cost me a hundred and seventy bucks, Justin! And he thinks it's a rubber pork chop!" He shook his head as he shuffled from side to side like a football player, trying to fool Tricky into going the wrong way, but the dog was much too intelligent to fall for Brian's subterfuge as he picked up the Golden Vein dildo – the Cadillac of ALL dildos – and took off with it at a furious run. He could hear Gus in the background excitedly screaming, "Run, Tricky, run!" as he attempted to catch up with the furry bandit.

Justin stopped running after a few minutes and placed his hands on his hips, finding it hard to catch his breath. "Brian – he's thinks you're playing a game. As long as you keep chasing him, he's not going to give it up," Justin said to him sensibly. Justin figured there wasn't any point in trying to catch the dog anymore; he didn't think there was any conceivable chance that Brian would ever actually catch Tricky even if he DID want to choke the living daylights out of him – the dog was way too fast and much too agile for him, even with his partner being in top physical condition. Tricky dashed off for the far corner of the yard, turning periodically to see if Brian was following him as finally Brian sighed heavily and stopped running. "Fuck," he muttered in disgust as Justin came walking up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "A hundred and seventy bucks, Justin. A hundred and seventy bucks and I didn't even get to use it on you."

Justin grinned; he figured that was the main reason why Brian was so upset. It wasn't the money – heaven knows Brian could afford to replace it. It was the fact that he hadn't been able to observe its effect on _him_ during their lovemaking; his partner always did like to see – and hear – his reaction to their collection of 'amusements.' He squeezed Brian's shoulder. "Well, _Tricky _enjoyed it," he replied facetiously, as Brian pursed his lips tightly together in agitation, clearly NOT amused. "I didn't know you had bought a new one." Brian had shown it to him online a couple of weeks ago, commenting on its improved features and smooth surface and telling Justin it would be so 'hot' to use it on him. Brian hadn't told him he had actually ordered one, though. "When did you get it?"

Brian shook his head in disgust as Tricky sat down and began to chew vigorously on what was left of their now destroyed sex toy. "A couple of days ago. I was going to surprise you with it this weekend before our plans changed." He sighed again almost like he had lost a best friend as he grumbled, "I put it under the bed. It was still in the box and that damn dog sniffed it out like yesterday's trick."

Justin chuckled as he leaned up to kiss Brian on the cheek. "He's a very inquisitive dog, Brian. It wasn't bacon-flavored by any chance, was it?"

Brian groaned as turned to look at his partner incredulously; his initial thought to answer with an angry, snappy retort disappeared at the look of amusement on his lover's face. Despite his aggravation, a small, ironic laugh bubbled up from his throat as he replied, "No, it wasn't bacon-flavored." He blew out a huff between his lips as he, too, finally acknowledged the humor in the situation. "This dog is going to be the death of me, Sunshine," he murmured as he turned and pulled Justin into a hug, letting out a tense breath as his anger floated away. "I'm finally getting punished for everything wrong I've done in life, aren't I? I think his real name is actually Lucifer – or maybe _Jack_."

Justin laughed softly as he hugged him tightly for several seconds, feeling the hard, tension-filled knots in Brian's back before he broke their embrace to grasp his partner's biceps and reply, "He's just a big old puppy, Brian. He doesn't know any better. And Gus loves him like crazy – almost as much as he loves _you._"

Brian gazed into the wise blue eyes for a moment before one corner of his mouth turned up. "You, too, you know," he told him softly as Justin smiled up at him; Brian reached down and gently brushed some errant hair away from Justin's eyes as he groused, "He still could use some obedience training, though – in the worst possible way."

Justin nodded. "Yeah, I'm in agreement on that; maybe we can tactfully suggest that to the girls when we see them tomorrow." He turned slightly to see Tricky happily munching away on his latest 'toy.' "Well, at least he's found a temporary diversion. That's one good thing. I think he'll leave you alone for a while now. If that thing cost $170 then it ought to be long-lasting."

Brian sighed. "We'll never know now…but it was going to make you feel so good, Sunshine," he told his lover huskily. "I couldn't wait to try it out on you."

Justin blushed at the sexy tone of Brian's voice. "Well, I think we can come up with an alternative until you can order another one, can't we?" He reached up to trail his thumb along Brian's full, lower lip as he suggested, "How about a nice long massage this evening after Gus goes to bed? Then I can make YOU feel really good..."

Brian curled his lips under and nodded in agreement as they turned and began to walk back toward the patio, arms around each other's waists. "By the way," he told him in a whisper. "That wasn't the _only_ toy the Easter Bunny ordered for you." Justin's right eyebrow rose curiously as Brian reached over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Justin smiled in eager anticipation before a sudden thought occurred to him. "It didn't come in the same box, did it? Maybe someone's already chewed the other one up, too."

Brian pulled Justin close to his body as he shook his head and whispered in his ear, "Different vendor – this one is safe and sound in the bathroom cabinet. I'll demonstrate it later – on YOU."

Justin flushed as thoughts of what it might be swirled around in his mind; they were promptly forgotten, though, as Gus came running up to them. "You looked like you were having fun, Daddy!" he cried out to his father. "Can we play another game with him?"

Brian groaned as he shook his head, reaching down to gently tousle his son's head. "No, Sonny Boy – I think Tricky – and your father – have gotten more than their share of exercise today."

"Besides," Justin told him, his arm still around Brian's waist. "You two have an Easter egg hunt to participate in. Everything's ready for you," he told the child with a smile. "I've hidden all the eggs as well as Tricky's goodies for the two of you to find. They're all around the outside of the house," he informed him. "Think you and Tricky can find them all?"

Gus scooted down from his chair excitedly, a cookie in his left hand as he bounced up and down. "Yeah! Remember, Tricky's the best 'treiver in the whole wide world!" he told Justin. "And the Easter bunny will be coming here tonight while I'm asleep? And leave me lots of candy and toys?"

Brian looked over at his partner in mortification; he hadn't even thought about the Easter Bunny tomorrow. To his relief, however, Justin nodded. "That's right," he told him with a tender smile as he nodded over at Brian. "But he'll only show up for you AND Tricky if you're both fast asleep when he gets here, okay?"

Gus nodded solemnly. "I promise, Papa…And so does Tricky." They all turned as the shoplifter finally trotted up to them and nudged Brian's hand with his head as he gazed up at him expectantly; when he didn't get any reaction from his idol he dropped what was left of the dildo at Brian's feet with a thud, the thrill apparently gone from his previous excitement. What had originally been a nine-inch dildo was now reduced to no more than a three-inch stump.

"Don't try to get back in my good graces now by bringing me a replica of Theodore's cock," he told him as Justin jabbed him in the side. He smirked at his partner as he turned to his son to say, "Go get your baskets, then, and let's see just how good a 'treiver Tricky is. I think I should stay here and – _supervise – _while you go find all of them."

"Poor old man," Justin whispered in his ear as Brian shrugged, too tired at the moment to put up a protest as he once more took his place at the table. "You take it easy so you'll be all rested up for later on." He gave Brian a kiss on the cheek before he stood back up.

Debbie rose from her chair to take Gus's hand. "Come on, Baby, we'll go get your baskets – and I want to get your picture taken with your new shirt before you have a chance to get it dirty." Still clutching his cookie in his hand, Gus allowed his grandmother to pull him gently toward the door as Justin followed along behind them.

To Brian's consternation, however, Tricky chose to remain at his side, gazing up at him silently with his tacky bunny ears.

Brian rolled his eyes; it was hard to stay mad at a dog that looked so ridiculous. "Well, go on," he urged him as he made a shooing motion with his hand. "Go find a nice, big hole and climb into it. Knock yourself out – literally." Tricky responded by raising one paw in the air toward Brian and whining softly.

"What is it about you blonds not taking no for an answer?" he complained as he huffed out an exasperated breath. He finally reached over and shook the dog's paw a couple of times before he let it drop, wiping his hand on his pant leg. "There, you happy?" he asked Tricky. "Shit…I can't believe I'm talking to a dog now," he muttered.

He lifted his gaze to meet Justin's amused face as he turned to look over at him before he called for the dog who finally left his place by Brian's side and scampered over to the back door.

"Justin?" was the soft call.

"Yeah?"

"Can you bring me a bottle of Beam and some aspirin before you get started? I think I feel a headache coming on."

* * *

><p><em>AN: TBC - Probably one more chapter:) Thanks to Boriqua522 for checking this over for me. *Hugs*_


	3. Dead Possums and Yellow Submarines

_Tricky discovers a fascination for a different sort of find during his and Gus's Easter egg hunt; Justin gets a surprise of his own._

* * *

><p><em>One Hour Later <em>

"Ahh," Brian murmured as he felt the warm rays of the sun beating down on his bare chest. Once he had felt reassured that Tricky was busy hunting for his dog treats - and would leave him alone for a while - he had decided to enjoy some much-needed R&R by moving from the table to one of his and Justin's thick-padded lounge chairs near the pool. It was way too early yet to actually open UP the pool, but that didn't mean he couldn't take advantage of the day's unusually mild temperature and soak up a little warmth. Once the Beam had hit his throat and the aspirin had taken effect, he had started to relax somewhat. Justin, Gus, Debbie, and best of all Tricky were all presently wandering around the side and front yard, intently searching for all the eggs and dog treats that Justin had hidden and then had promptly forgotten where they were. He snickered, remembering how he had overheard Justin telling Gus a few minutes ago that he was sure if they looked long enough he could remember where they all were. "Take all the time you need, boys," he whispered as he closed his eyes and laid his head back on the partially upright lounge chair, his hands hanging limply down by his sides as he blissfully enjoyed the slight breeze and the tranquility.

Justin had insisted on erecting a bird feeding station and birdbath in their backyard a few months ago; at first Brian had tried to flatly reject the idea, telling his lover that not only was it an expensive project but also scattered shell husks and bird droppings would be everywhere, including inside the pool once they removed the cover for the season. But Justin had managed in his own _persuasive_ way to change his mind, and he had finally decided to permit it as long as the birdfeeders and birdbath were kept several feet away from the back patio and pool and Justin took care of replenishing them whenever they ran low. Now as he lay there basking in the unusually warm spring sun and listening to nothing but the gentle rush of the wind and the birds singing from several large, mature shade trees nearby, he had to grudgingly admit - this country life wasn't half bad.

A cold, wet nose nudging his left hand unexpectedly roused him from his contented state as he opened his eyes and peered through his sunglasses at his perpetrator, yanking his hand back before he turned his face to observe who he already knew was there. "Great," he muttered as Tricky bounced up and down excitedly on his paws as soon as Brian looked his way; he had his Easter basket clutched firmly in his fleshy jowls that now contained some gnawed-on rawhide bones and a single, slime-covered tennis ball; apparently whatever dog treats Justin had so diligently included in the canine part of the Easter egg hunt had already been eaten. Once more the dog's tail wagged vigorously from side to side as he dropped the basket by his feet and let out another yip of happiness.

"Shit," Brian muttered in frustration; he had been hoping for a longer respite than this. His nose crinkled as the wind changed direction and he suddenly caught a whiff of something unpleasant...something close by - VERY close by. He dared to lean over, just enough to make sure of his suspicion before he managed to confirm his fears and barely dodge Tricky's latest slobbery kiss. His face contorted as he quickly bounded up from his lounge chair and stared down accusingly at his companion who merely continued to wag his tail at him innocently.

"Justin!" He roared. "Get over here!"

Justin came rushing up from around the side of the house several seconds later, Gus and Debbie following along close behind him. Gus had a basket teeming with eggs, packages of jelly beans, small boxes of Peeps and peanut M&M's that he struggled to control as he came bounding up to his father. Debbie trailed along last, her camera bobbing up and down on her chest from a black strap hung around her neck.

"What is it _now_?" Justin asked breathlessly, looking around to see where the emergency was but seeing none. In fact, Tricky was actually sitting quietly nearby, having taken one of his partially-eaten rawhide bones out of his basket as he propped it up with his two front paws and proceeded to enjoy working it over some more, oblivious to all the drama occurring.

"I'll tell you what it is!" Brian announced as he stared over at Tricky and pointed at him. "It's what it _always _is! Him!" Tricky looked up from his bone and thumped his tail a few more times before he turned his attention back to his treat.

Justin frowned as he looked over at the dog, who was actually behaving himself for a change. "What _about _him?"

Brian sighed heavily. "Have you gotten a good whiff of him, Justin?"

Justin rolled his eyes. "Well, I haven't gotten up close and personal with him, if that's what you mean. Brian, what are you talking about?" He asked wearily.

"He smells like...like..." Brian struggled to find just the right word. It wasn't exactly like shit but it was close. He tentatively walked a few feet closer to the dog and gave a few more sniffs before he was finally able to figure out exactly what it was. "Something dead; he smells like something _dead!_"

"What? Are you sure?"

Brian huffed out an irritated breath as he placed his hands on his hips in full queen-out mode; after all, he had the prime embodiment of a drama queen living in the same household. "_Yes_, I'm sure, Justin! Go on...smell for yourself! Go on, I dare you!"

Justin shook his head at Brian's impersonation of Emmett as he walked closer to the dog and carefully gave him a smell; his nose scrunched up in dismay as he got a good whiff of what Brian was talking about and he had to admit - he DID smell like the living dead.

"Ahhhh...What'd I TELL you!" Brian cried out triumphantly, seeing the look of disgust on Justin's face. "He smells like he's been in a garbage can!"

Debbie walked up next to Justin and gave the dog a tentative smell as well before she nodded. "Yeah...smells just like the dumpster out back by the diner," she announced.

Justin was dumbfounded. "I don't get it," he said. "I didn't notice that before; he smelled just fine earlier."

"Maybe it was when he rolled around on the ground," Gus told them helpfully.

Justin blinked as he turned to gaze at his stepson who was sitting nonchalantly at the patio table, biting the head off a purple marshmallow peep that he had pulled out of a small package from his Easter basket. "He was rolling around on the ground?" he asked him.

Gus nodded as he turned his head to look at Tricky. "Yeah. I saw him pick up a dog biscuit and eat it and then he plopped down on the ground and did his rollover trick. Maybe the grass stunk there."

Brian snorted, highly insulted at the insinuation. "Not too likely...We have landscapers."

Justin frowned in confusion as he gave Brian a silent reprimand with his eyes. "Can you show me where, Buddy?"

Gus nodded as he plopped the rest of the Peep in his mouth and jumped off the chair. Licking the sugary, sticky residue off his fingers, he scampered off toward the side yard with Justin following close behind him.

As they disappeared around the side of the house, Brian sighed as he walked over to the table and sat down next to Debbie in one of the other chairs; at least from this distance he couldn't smell Tricky who was still contently gnawing away on his rawhide bone over in the grass.

Debbie dug into her purse that she had left lying on the table until she found the object she was looking for. Holding it up in front of Brian, she asked, "Perfume spritz?"

Brian harrumphed. "That wouldn't even cover a paw," he groused as Debbie gave him a playful squirt. "Hey!" He glared at her with a scowl as Justin and Gus came walking back up to the patio. He noticed that Gus seemed excited about something, which made him a little uneasy for some reason. "Well?"

"You were right, Daddy! You should have seen it; it was NEAT!"

Brian didn't like the way this was heading but had to know anyway as he turned to look at Justin. "Seen what?"

"I think it used to be a possum," Justin told him with a grimace. "We used to have them show up in our backyard every once in a while. Nasty little buggers, too, if they were ever cornered. Looks like it's been dead for a while."

Brian's face broke out in repulsion as he looked over at Tricky obliviously entertaining himself before he turned back to Justin to verify, "Are you telling me that Cujo here found a dead possum in our side yard while you were Easter egg hunting and _rolled_ in it?"

Justin looked over at him uncomfortably and nodded. "I think that about covers it," he said as Debbie guffawed in amusement. At Brian's aghast look, Justin advised with a shrug, "I can't explain it, but dogs seem to like doing that sort of thing. It apparently harkens back to when they descended from the wolves. Wolves will roll in decomposing carcasses or feces to mask their own scent and enable them to sneak up on their prey without detection."

Brian huffed out a breath of disbelief. "Thank you for that latest fascinating snippet from the National Geographic Channel, Sunshine, but what are you going to do about it? I am NOT letting that beast back in OUR house smelling like THAT!"

Justin rolled his eyes at the use of the word 'you.' "Well, _I _got our shovel out of the storage building and threw the dead possum over the fence into the creek, even though your son wanted to keep it so he could take it to school for show and tell," he told him as Brian gave him a horrified look. "And now someone has to give Mr. Smelly over there a bath. I don't suppose you're volunteering to take care of that little task?"

Brian laughed scornfully. "Hardly. If you think I'm going anywhere NEAR that smelly mutt in my expensive clothes, you are sadly deluded! And if you recall, you've forbidden me to go anywhere near the baths anymore."

"Ha, ha," Justin retorted as he crossed his hands over his chest, bristling as Debbie and Gus silently watched in fascination like tennis spectators as they sparred back and forth. "Well, _Mr. Shower Only_, you can at least take your sticky son inside to clean his hands off and put his Easter basket away temporarily before he totally spoils his dinner which I spent hours fixing; and you can get the manicotti out of the freezer and put it in the oven to heat so it's ready in an hour. And while you're at it, why don't you find something to help occupy Gus with while I try to clean the dead possum scent out of _your son's _DOG!"

Debbie chortled. "You tell him, Sunshine!" she cheered him on as Brian shot her a scathing look. She pushed back from her chair and stood up to face her 'adoptive son' defiantly. "Come on, I'll whip up a salad for dinner and get the bath supplies for Sunshine's not-so-little chore."

Brian knew when he was outnumbered as he slowly rose from his chair. He walked over to Justin and whispered in his ear, "I love it when you get so bossy," before he left his red-faced lover standing there to walk over and pick up Gus's basket of goodies. "Come on, Sonny Boy," he encouraged his son softly as he picked Gus up under the shoulders and placed him gently on the ground. "We'd better do what the drill sergeant says."

As Tricky rose up from his place in the grass to follow, Brian flashed a warning look at him as he held up both his hands to say, "No way, Pepe LePew! You STAY! You're not setting foot inside my house until you smell like a _rose_!" He firmly took hold of Gus's hand and urged him toward the double doors, thankful as he slid them open and shut behind the three of them that for once Tricky had miraculously obeyed his command and stayed put. For just a fleeting moment, he actually felt a slight twinge of guilt as he looked through the glass doors and noticed the dog standing forlornly a few feet away, his tail drooping and his big, brown eyes appearing incredibly sad as he stared directly at them.

"Fuck," Brian muttered under his breath. He couldn't believe he was actually feeling sorry for the mutt. He felt even worse when he heard his son sniffle beside him. Turning to kneel down beside him, he took hold of Gus's shoulders as he gazed into the large, expressive eyes and softly reassured him, "Don't worry, Sonny Boy. Justin will take real good care of him and he can come back in once he's all clean and dry, okay?"

Gus's lower lip quivered as he nodded. "You promise, Daddy?" he hiccupped out as Debbie gazed down at him sympathetically.

Brian swept him up into a comforting hug, placing his hands around Gus's back protectively as he whispered near his cheek, "I promise."

He pulled back slightly to peer into his son's eyes, tenderly wiping the tears away from the little boy's face with his hands as he smiled. "He'll be back inside in no time," he told him. He glanced up at Debbie who actually had a sort of approving look on her face as she smiled down at him and nodded.

"I'll go get what Sunshine needs and Tricky will be good as new in no time, Baby," she told her grandson confidently. "You go get washed up and ready for dinner, okay? I have a feeling by the time dinner is ready Tricky will be right here with you."

"Daddy?' Gus asked as he looked into Brian's face, his eyes shining through his tears.

"Yeah, Buddy?" Brian whispered as he held onto Gus's upper arms and waited patiently for his son to speak.

"Don't you like Tricky?"

Brian felt like a dagger was piercing his heart at the sad tone of his son's voice as he glanced up at Debbie who raised an eyebrow at him, silently cautioning him that he'd best reply to that question carefully. He nodded at her in understanding before he turned his gaze back to his son to answer, "Well, I haven't been around dogs much in my life, Sonny Boy, so it's hard for me to get used to having one around the house, especially one as big as Tricky. But he's a very smart dog, and I know how much you love him and how much he loves you, so that makes him very special to me, too. Okay?"

Gus nodded, thankfully accepting that explanation as Brian stood back up and took his hand once more. "Now let's let your Grandma get what your papa needs to get Tricky all squeaky clean and we'll go wash up for dinner, okay? And I think we might just have enough time to play with your train set for a little while before we eat. How's that sound?"

Gus nodded this time with a bit of a smile, stealing a glance back at Tricky as Brian proceeded to walk with him down the hallway toward the half-bath located a few feet down on the right. Just before he and Gus entered the room, he turned and flashed a smile of gratitude at Debbie. She eyed him for a moment before she walked over to the storage pantry and began to take out the cleaning supplies Justin would need to help Tricky get back into Brian's good graces again.

* * *

><p><em> An Hour Later<em>

Justin passed the large, wooden bowl of tossed salad over to Debbie as she helped herself to a serving and placed it into an individual bowl next to her plate. As requested, Brian had heated up the manicotti and had even thrown a frozen loaf of garlic bread into the oven along with it so by the time Justin had finished giving Tricky a bath and dried him off with a couple of thirsty bath sheets, their dinner was hot and ready to be eaten. And when Justin had cleaned up outside and brought Tricky into the house with him, the dog had been met with relieved excitement from Gus and a silent response of acceptance from Brian. Justin knew his lover wouldn't dare object to him bringing him back into the house no matter how rambunctious he had been; there was no way now that Brian would disappoint his son by making Tricky stay outside until he left tomorrow.

Brian eyed Justin from across the table, knowing his partner was still a little upset with him over his refusal to help him earlier. But truthfully he hadn't been that afraid of getting his clothes ruined or overly repulsed by having to smell Tricky's disgusting scent; no, he had been honest with Gus when he had told him earlier that he had never had a lot of experience being around dogs. His father and mother had expressively forbidden him or Claire from having any pets in the house when they were growing up, although they had finally given in to Claire's pleas and whines to let her have an aquarium of tropical fish in her room.

The truth was he actually had no fucking idea how to handle a dog - especially one as enormous and unfettered as Tricky. He knew the dog was just a big, overgrown baby, too eager to please but still gentle in nature. He knew the dog meant well and was devoted to his son, which was admirable in his eyes. But the dog intimidated him because he was unfamiliar to him. Justin, on the other hand, seemed to know exactly how to handle him, at least as much as Tricky _could_ be managed. He leaned down to observe the dog in question lying quietly now under the dinner table; as he peered down at him, the dog raised his head slightly and stared over at him as if to reassure him that he understood his trepidation. He quirked one side of his mouth up as Tricky rose from his place on the oval rug underneath the table and lumbered over to his side. Checking to see if anyone was watching him, he quietly pinched off a bit of his garlic bread and with a calming breath of courage blindly reached under the table, feeling a pair of lips gently snatch it from his fingers.

Wiping his fingers off surreptitiously with the maroon-colored cloth napkin in his lap, he looked casually around the dinner table until he caught Justin's gaze. A guilty flush spread over his face as Justin smirked at him with a look that said he knew exactly what he was doing before to his relief his partner turned to Debbie and politely asked her to pass him some more manicotti. As his son proceeded to chatter on excitedly about his pending visit from the Easter Bunny, however, something told him Justin wouldn't be letting that particular gesture go totally ignored.

A few minutes later, Debbie pushed back from her chair with a groan. "That was great, Sunshine, but I'm more stuffed now than the manicotti was!" she joked as Justin murmured his thanks at the compliment. "It'll be dark soon and I have a lot of work to do for tomorrow night's dinner, so I'd better get going." She looked over at her grandson affectionately as she offered, "You know, I'm pretty tight with the Easter Bunny. I'm sure I could pass a message along to him to leave Gus's Easter Basket at my house instead of yours if you want me to take Gus and Tricky back to the house with me tonight."

Justin looked over at Brian questioningly, silently offering him an out if he really needed it. Even though he was still aggravated with his partner somewhat, he knew that Brian was uncomfortable with Tricky's over exuberance. He had been shocked earlier, however, when he had actually caught Brian apparently feeding Tricky something under the table. The man was nothing if not an enigma to him, even now, but that was also part of why he continued to be so fascinating, too.

To his slight surprise, Brian shook his head. "Thanks for offering, Deb. But it won't be too long before Gus's bedtime, and he knows he has to be asleep before the Easter Bunny stops here. I wouldn't want to take the chance that he might still be awake when he comes and then he doesn't stop, right, Sonny Boy?"

Gus nodded his head vigorously as he slurped up the rest of his chocolate milk through his straw. "I want to stay here with you and Papa until tomorrow. And so does Tricky."

Brian swabbed his tongue around in his cheek as he replied, "He told you that, did he?" He leaned down sideways once more to see Tricky lying near his feet now, no doubt hoping he would drop more food his way. The dog lifted his head to eye him intently, but to his credit he didn't get up this time. Brian didn't dare address the dog directly, because he knew if he did the dog would come rushing over to his side and he was rather enjoying their uneasy truce at the moment.

Gus snorted as he returned his attention back to his son. "Dogs can't talk, Daddy!" he chided Brian sternly; Justin couldn't help chuckling softly at the solemn expression on his stepson's face.

"Ohhh," Brian replied seriously as he nodded his head. "Well, how can you tell, then?"

"Because he's happy here, Daddy. He has a big yard to play in and lots of toys and treats. And at night he sleeps at the end of my bed where it's nice and soft. He keeps my feet warm, too."

Brian nodded. "Yeah...blonds are good for that in bed, along with some other talents, too," he told him. He ducked as a piece of garlic bread went flying by his head; Justin averted his gaze and plastered an innocent look on his face as he smiled over at Debbie, who winked back at him.

Oblivious to his father's rather risqué statement, Gus continued firmly, "I _know_ he's happy, Daddy, because his tail wags when he's happy and he wags it a _lot _when he's here." He looked under the table at Tricky, who thumped his tail right on cue. "See! He's doing it right now!"

Brian risked a peek under the table again; the second Tricky saw him taking a look, he began to wag his tail even harder. Brian thought he could actually feel the floor vibrating at the moment as he sighed. Raising himself back upright into his seat, he turned to Deb and said, "Looks like the Easter Bunny will be keeping his stop here after all."

"Yay!" Gus shouted out in relief as he clapped boisterously; all the excitement raised Tricky's curiosity as he scooted out from under the table, just barely missing the underside of the surface as he lumbered over to Gus who patted him affectionately on the head. "We get to stay, Boy!" Tricky had no idea what was going on, but he could tell by Gus's reaction that it was good, so he just settled on letting forth with a jubilant bark as Debbie shook her head.

"Well, looks like I'll see all of YOU tomorrow evening, then," she told them. She waggled a finger at Brian as she warned him, "And don't YOU try to squirm out of it, either, _Buster. _Five o'clock...Sharp. Got it?"

"Got it," Brian told her as Debbie turned to go, counting off the conditions on his palm. "No squirming. Five O'Clock. I think I can remember that."

"I'll help him remember," Gus offered. "I'm still young and he's getting older."

Justin chortled in glee as Brian shot him a death glare. "Yeah..._so old_. I'm glad you're around to help him out, Gus."

"Okay...I see things are well in hand," Debbie announced with a gleam in her eye as she smiled prettily over at Brian who was silently pouting in insult. "I think I'll let myself out. Sunshine, come a little early and I'll show you my secret recipe for my cherry sauce for the ham."

Justin eyes lit up; Debbie's sweet, tart cherry sauce she used on her ham at Easter was legendary. "Great! And I won't have to write it down, either," he told her as he looked over at Brian who scowled at him. "We'll see you then. And Deb..._thanks_ for watching Gus."

Just before she walked out of the dining room, she turned to say, "Anytime, Honey. I know how much Brian needs his beauty sleep."

"Bye, Deb!" Brian said abruptly in dismissal. "Better get going before it gets dark!" With a wave of her hand and a laugh, Debbie finally left the room and a few seconds later the front door was heard opening as Brian sighed in relief that at least ONE tormentor was finally gone.

"Tricky has a surprise for the Easter Bunny," Gus chirped up.

Justin smiled over at him. "He does?"

Gus nodded. "Yeah...I taught him another new trick," he announced proudly. "Ready to show them, Boy?" He pointed at Tricky to say firmly, "Let's show Papa and Daddy. Sit!" The dog didn't hesitate as he promptly sat down on his back haunches and stared over at his master's face. Brian watched as his son reached inside his jeans pocket and dug out a couple of jelly beans. "Watch, Daddy! Watch, Papa!" he urged them as he said to Tricky, "Get ready...One, two, three_...Catch!_" He lobbed a jelly bean approximately five feet into the air in a gentle arc that was nimbly caught by the dog a few seconds later. All it took was one gulp before the dog promptly swallowed it. The second one Gus threw was caught just as deftly a few seconds later as he held his hands up and announced to Tricky solemnly, "That's all." He beamed over at the adults. "Isn't he the smartest dog in the whole, wide world?" he enthused.

"Well, he certainly knows how to get what he wants," Brian grumbled. "Just like someone _else _I know." That remark earned him a baby carrot thrown at him this time as he stared incredulously over at his partner.

Justin shrugged. "Just leaving food for the Easter Bunny for later," he told him. "Why should Santa get all the food?"

Brian looked down on the floor where the carrot had landed. "Well, don't look now, but your food for the Easter Bunny was just swallowed up by the canine garbage disposal. You both have really good gag reflexes," he observed tongue in cheek. He received the expected reaction he was looking for when Justin's face turned an adorable shade of pink as Gus looked over at Justin in concern. "Oh, no, Papa! Do you think he'll be mad at Tricky and not stop here? He was just hungry; he didn't mean to eat his food. He just likes food."

"Just like someone else I..."

"Brian, please; can we stop with comparisons for just a few minutes?" Justin groused with a huff. He looked over at Tricky, who was sitting next to Gus, both front paws up in the air as he made a sort of up and down motion with them, no doubt begging for another carrot to be lobbed his way; he supposed he had no one to blame but himself for that, though. He sighed as he turned to face Gus to reassure him, "I'm sure it'll be fine, Gus. We have plenty of other carrots in the refrigerator. I'll make sure to get some out and put them on a plate for the Easter Bunny before your Dad and I go to bed tonight, okay?"

"Do you promise to put them somewhere safe so Tricky won't find them first? I think he's part bloodhound, too."

Justin chuckled. "I promise. The Easter Bunny's pretty tall, so I'll put them on the kitchen counter, right next to a big glass of water for him. How's that?"

Gus nodded, pleased. "Okay. Do you think he likes Peeps, too? I have some left. I don't like the yellow ones. Can we leave him some of those, too?"

Justin smiled. "I'm sure he'd appreciate a little dessert; that's very thoughtful of you."

Gus beamed at him in pleasure as Brian stood up from the table. "Well, Tricky had his bath already, so I think it's time you do, too. Ready to go upstairs and get ready for bed?"

Normally, Gus would put up a fuss about having to take a bath this early, but the day's tumultuous events, along with his fervent wish not to disrupt any visit from the Easter Bunny, helped sway his decision as he nodded agreeably. "Okay, Daddy. Can I have bubbles with it?"

Brian walked over and picked his son up, bracing him under the butt as he told him, "Sorry, Little Man. We can't use bubble bath in the Jacuzzi and it gives your Daddy dry skin. You'll just have to settle for playing with your bath toys instead."

He looked over at Justin when he cleared his throat. "Uh...actually, we do have some," he told him sheepishly. "I picked up some Sesame Street Fizzy Tub Color Tablets at the grocery store today."

Brian frowned. "Some _what?"_

"Yay!" Gus shouted as he bounced up and down on his feet in eager anticipation. "I LOVE those!"

Justin reached to pick up a couple of soiled dinner plates as he repeated, "Sesame Street Fizzy Tub...; oh, never mind," he said as Brian gave him a dumbfounded look. "They're in the bathroom closet; Gus can show them to you."

Brian lingered there with his son for a moment as he gazed over at his partner; his crazy, wonderful, thoughtful partner who obviously loved Gus just as much as he did and was constantly thinking of ways to prove it. And by the look of adoration in Gus's eyes, he knew Gus felt the same way. He gently placed Gus back down on the floor as he told him, "Why don't you and Tricky go on upstairs to the bathroom? You can find the bath bubble stuff and I'll be right up, okay?"

Gus took off like a shot practically as soon as his feet hit the ground, Tricky close on his heels as they ran helter-skelter toward the steps. "Okay, Daddy! I'll race you, Tricky!" he shouted as boy and dog thundered up the steps.

Justin grinned affectionately at the sound before returning to gather up the dinner dishes; a few seconds later, he straightened up as he felt a pair of long arms slide around his waist from behind and warm breath on his neck.

"You're really something, you know that?" was the soft murmur. "Dog Whisperer, Cook Extraordinaire, Professional Pet Bather, Dead Animal Exterminator, and Expert Grocer." He turned Justin in his arms to add, "Not to mention a great partner who puts up with a lot of my bullshit and is an incredible dad to my son - _our _son." He nuzzled Justin's cheek against his as he whispered in his ear, "How did I get so damn lucky, I wonder?" He pulled back to see tears in Justin's eyes, his beautiful face aglow with pleasure - pleasure that he always loved to put there but didn't strive to do nearly enough in his opinion.

Justin beamed at the heartfelt words that he adored hearing, words that Brian was more comfortable saying now but still found somewhat hard to utter. "Good thing for you the man in question happens to be totally in love with said bullshitter," he told him with a soft smile as he wrapped his own arms around Brian's waist. "_And_ the bullshitter's wonderful son."

Brian curled his lips under as he asked, "What about the dog?"

Justin turned one side of his mouth up as he told him, "The dog is part of the package; where Gus goes, he goes. Besides, I couldn't bear to keep you and him apart - even if he _does _have some nasty habits."

"Yeah...That's putting it mildly," he told him as his hands slowly caressed Justin's back. He leaned in to bestow a gentle kiss on Justin's lips before he pulled back to ask, "Want me to help you clean up?"

Justin shook his head but smiled in gratitude over the offer. "No, it's okay. I'm just going to load the dishwasher first and then I'll wait on doing the rest. You go ahead and get Gus and his shadow ready for bed; you think you can handle Sweet Pea by yourself?"

Brian snorted. "Sweet Pea? Justin, he may not smell like road kill any longer, but that dog will never be mistaken for a 'sweet' _anything._" He'll always be a big, lumbering beast. Just how long ARE their life spans, anyway?"

"Brian!" Justin smacked him on the arm. "He's still in the puppy stage! He's going to be around for a long time and Gus adores him, so for your son's sake you'd better learn to live with him!"

Brian winced. "Don't say _live with him;_ that sounds too permanent." He sighed. "Okay...I promise to tolerate him; how's that?" Justin nodded as he added, "I'll go do bath and bedtime story reading duty while you finish up with the dishwasher. And after I give Gus his bath and put him to bed," he told his partner, his voice dropping an octave as he made Justin' body tingle in anticipation, "I'll come and give YOU a bath and put YOU to bed; deal?"

Justin nodded with a grin as they came together for another kiss. "Deal," he told him as they broke apart. "I'll be up as soon as I put the carrots, water and Peeps out..."

Brian huffed in amusement. "You're a nut case," he told him flatly. "Gus will be in bed; he won't know if you put that shit out or not. Just put an empty plate and a glass out; he'll never know the difference."

Justin huffed in exasperation. "But _I'LL _know!"

Brian laughed, knowing he wasn't going to get Justin to change his mind. He gave him a quick kiss on the nose like you would a young child - in a lot of ways Justin reminded him of one sometimes with his enthusiasm, but he loved him for it - and told him tenderly, "Okay, Sunshine. Do it your way. Just make sure the evidence is gone by morning so Gus isn't the wiser. _I _think you just want an excuse to eat more candy."

"I don't LIKE Peeps," Justin told him with a glare. "I'm strictly a chocolate and jelly bean man. Now go...before I get impatient for my bath and drop a Red Fizzy in our Jacuzzi to entertain myself with."

* * *

><p><em>Ninety Minutes Later<em>

Brian glanced up from his place on the bed, placing the advertising magazine down that he was casually perusing as his partner walked in; he had slid on a pair of loose-fitting briefs in deference to the sudden chill in the bedroom as well as his son's presence for the weekend. "Operation Easter Basket all completed?" he asked, his eyes lifting from the half-rimmed glasses he had been relegated to using for reading fine print a few years ago. He hated this obvious concession to the effects of time, but he also had found to his consternation that small print was blurry for him if he didn't use them.

He had put Gus to bed about an hour ago, enormously relieved that Tricky had actually been fairly cooperative this time; the dog must have been worn out from his antics earlier, because he had quickly joined Gus at the foot of the bed and had curled up as Brian had read Gus his bedtime story, ready for slumber land. Once boy and dog were asleep soon afterward, the two partners had finally found some more time alone, using it to make love once more in the Jacuzzi before heading back to their own bed.

Justin nodded as he closed the door but left it slightly ajar in case Gus should need them for anything during the night. "I put it on his dresser, along with Tricky's," he told him. Feeling guilty at the thought of using one of those tacky, plastic, pre-made baskets for his stepson, Justin had located a dark-green, long-handled wicket basket at a thrift store a month ago (of course he didn't tell _Brian_ where he had found it for fear it would give him a heart attack) and had quickly gotten to work preparing it properly for Gus. He had meticulously hand painted John Deere tractors on both sides of it and Gus's name in big, bold, yellow block letters on the handle. He had found just the right shade of crinkled, green paper strips to place in the bottom, and had found all sorts of green toys and gadgets to place inside: a stuffed frog, a couple of camouflage-colored Army vehicles, a green Yo-Yo, even a green and white polka-dotted dinosaur.

He had then filled it with all kinds of snack items - a few chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, naturally, but also some more nutritious snacks that Gus enjoyed and were healthier for him: fruit bites in the shape of different birds, packages of caramel microwave popcorn, chocolate-drizzled granola bars. After wrapping it carefully in clear cellophane wrapping paper, he had tied a huge, green sparkly bow on top with a small gift card on which he had written "To Gus, From the Easter Bunny" in flowing, calligraphy script. It was very elegant and unique. A smaller, sturdier basket, also with a handle for a canine mouth to hold onto, was resting next to Gus's, full of even more rubber dog toys and treats for Tricky.

Brian smiled as Justin walked closer and sat down on the edge of the bed to gently remove Brian's glasses from his face. "You look so sexy wearing those," he told him with a glint in his eyes.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Only YOU would find four eyes sexy," he grumbled as Justin placed the glasses down on the nightstand.

Justin smiled as he scooted over closer to his lover. "Well, the idea of having two of every part of your gorgeous body does have its definite appeal," he told him as he placed his hands on Brian's chest and leaned in toward his face. "Two pairs of eyes," he said, kissing one eyelid and then the other. "Two noses," he said, performing the same ritual on his nose. "Two pairs of talented lips, just perfect for kissing," he murmured, his breath washing over Brian's face as they gazed into each other's eyes for a moment before their lips came together once, then twice, deeper each time as they kissed passionately.

Brian arched one eyebrow as he murmured, "Don't forget two cocks."

Justin chuckled as he slowly slid down Brian's body, prepared to worship a certain, impressive piece of Brian's anatomy before his eyes rested on an object sitting on the mattress and he stopped, spellbound.

Brian knew the moment Justin had discovered his surprise by the way his eyes immediately lit up and his face broke out into his trademark, dazzling smile. "What is _that_?" he asked in wonder, eyeing the large package perched on his side of the bed; an elegant, gold bow was perched on top, similiar to Gus's but much larger, and it was surrounded by several sheets of yellow cellophane, making it difficult for Justin to see what was inside.

He didn't wait for his lover's reply as he proceeded to actually CRAWL over Brian's chest to get to other side of the bed. "Don't mind me," he groused as Justin sat up excitedly, cross-legged Indian style in front of the object and hefted it up by the bottom. "What are you _doing_?" Brian asked him in amusement.

"I'm seeing how heavy this is," he told Brian as he raised it up and down in his hands in an attempt to gauge its weight. Still holding it, he turned to his partner, his face full of amazement. "You actually bought me my own Easter basket?" he asked.

Brian shrugged. "Well, you've been a pretty good boy this year, haven't you?"

"Are you kidding? I've been a fucking _saint_ this year when it comes to putting up with YOU." Justin retorted; but he didn't have too much time to dwell on his reply; his eyes were too glued to the large, cellophane-wrapped basket currently cradled in his hands. Unlike Gus's basket, though, this was one wrapped in more of an opaque paper, making it impossible to see the contents. Justin eyed the basket curiously as he stole another glance at Brian.

"Well, go on! You know you're dying to!" his partner urged him as he nudged his body with his elbow. "Open the damn thing or we'll never be able to get around to the fucking!"

That was all Justin needed to hear as he promptly placed the basket down on the mattress and tore into the shiny paper; there was no hesitation or flair in the way that Justin frantically ripped the paper open and tore it off the basket to display what was inside. His initial exuberance at finally being able to see the contents, though, stalled as he got a look at what was nestled inside the basket and his eyes widened in amazement. There were all kinds of yellow-colored candies inside, including lemon drops, yellow jelly beans, and even the dreaded yellow Peeps. He even recognized a few lemon bars from the diner. He frowned a little at Brian as he looked over at him to ask, "You're not comparing me to a lemon, are you?"

Brian laughed. "No, you're safe, _Sunshine_ - I've kind of gotten used to you by now. Besides, we're past the warranty stage now; I couldn't return you even if I wanted to. _Twat_," he muttered as he gave Justin an affectionate push to the side of his face with his palm as Justin glared at him.

He looked down at his basket and paused for a moment, almost like Tricky did when he was waiting to see if he was going to get in trouble or not before Brian reached over and picked up one of the items to get the ball rolling: It was a small, gold-colored box of Godiva chocolate-covered cherries. He slid the glittery, matching, gold-colored bow off the box and opened up the lid to set the box down between him and Justin. Reaching in to pluck out one of the expensive milk chocolates, he held it up in front of Justin's lips as he told him huskily, "I figured since I pop your cherry on a regular basis, the least I can do is return the favor. Open up."

Justin flushed at the sultry tone of Brian's voice as he slowly opened his mouth and watched in fascination as Brian pushed the chocolate between his lips; he closed his eyes in bliss as the smooth confection rested on his tongue, sucking on the smooth, silky feeling of the decadent chocolate, along with a couple of Brian's fingers. It was an intoxicating combination: sweet chocolate, tart cherry, and _Brian_.

He swallowed the sweet down his throat as he puckered his lips around Brian's fingers before his lover slid them out of his mouth; he watched through lust-filled eyes as Brian slowly suckled the chocolate off his fingers before he leaned in to share a kiss with him. "Open the next one," he told his partner as Justin smiled in anticipation. Reaching down, he plucked another small package out of the basket. This one was rather lumpy-looking, wrapped in the same yellow-cellophane paper and tied at the top with a smaller curling ribbon. He managed to slide the ribbon up over the end of the cellophane as his eyes widened in delight; it was a plastic replica of a yellow submarine, complete with port holes and a little tailfin.

Brian watched in amusement as Justin lovingly brushed his fingers along the smooth, curved surface. "It's a floating radio," he told Justin. "Perfect for little blond twinks that like to stay way too long in the Jucuzzi. Now we can fuck to Engelbert Humperdinck music."

"You mean Humper_DICK_." Justin corrected him with an impish smile, staring in fascination at his new 'toy.' He lifted his gaze to beam over at Brian. "This is perfect, Brian," he told him, his eyes lit up in happiness as he leaned in to give Brian another kiss of gratitude. He was beginning to like this routine; a gift, a kiss; a gift, a kiss...And they had several more gifts to go.

Brian laughed softly. "Okay - Humperdick; I stand corrected. Open the next one."

Justin nodded eagerly as he picked up another package - this one was in a low, narrow gold box. He lifted the top to find a yellow submarine apron and a pair of black socks with miniature submarines on them.

"Just don't plan on wearing that shit out where the public can see them," Brian warned him as Justin held the socks up to admire them. "They are to be worn under long pants at all times. And you only use that apron when you're cooking for me and me only."

Justin grinned as he nodded and leaned in for kiss number three. Brian shook his head at Justin's 'little-boy-at-Christmas' look as he watched his lover pluck out the next gift and open it: a yellow submarine coffee mug and yellow submarine cuff links. At least since the cufflinks were made partially from silver and were relatively small, he did receive permission to wear those at art affairs only - and it had to be out of town.

A yellow MP3 player and Andy Warhol-type poster completed the rest of Brian's offerings as finally Justin finished opening up the last gift. By the time he was done there was a large, wadded up ball of yellow cellophane on the floor next to the bed and several kisses given out by a thrilled, ecstatic, blond-haired Beatles fan.

Justin ran his fingers over the rim of his basket as he murmured in disbelief, "I can't believe you did all this for me."

"Not from me," Brian maintained, his lips curled under. "The Easter Bunny just came early."

"Uh-huh," Justin told him with a smile. "Well, the Easter Bunny was very generous - as well as thoughtful." He gazed into Brian's eyes as he reached his hand out to cup Brian's cheek and softly told him, "Next time you see him, tell him this is one of the best Easters I've ever had. In the meantime, you think he would mind if I expressed my appreciation to you instead?"

Brian leered at him. "I think he might actually be expecting that - he's pretty busy this time of year. And since we fuck like bunnies anyway, I think it's very appropriate."

Justin broke out into a beaming smile as he playfully pushed Brian down onto the bed; as Brian gazed into his partner's radiant face, he knew the abhorrence he had felt at the thought of bestowing such a lesbionic-type gift on his partner was more than worth any awkwardness from being outside his comfort zone. Anything to make Justin smile like this and make him this happy was worth all of it.

Justin draped his upper body over Brian's chest as the two of them shared a slow, deep, languid kiss; it was tender, it was sweet, it was sexy; it was all of those things. But most of all it was a kiss that said _I love you_, _I cherish you, _and _I adore you._

* * *

><p><em>The Next Morning - 7 a.m.<em>

The sound of heavy panting caused Brian to open one eye to observe a pair of golden-colored, luminous eyes blinking back at him and a massive face staring into his from the side of the bed. He groaned as he quickly closed his eyes shut. "Justin, I think I'm having a nightmare."

Spooned behind his partner with his hands around Brian's waist, Justin raised his head up enough to peek over Brian's shoulder. He noticed Tricky standing there with the handle of his new Easter basket clutched in his mouth. "You're right - it's your _worst_ nightmare come to life," he told Brian as he took one hand and slowly caressed Brian's bare shoulder. Thank goodness he had thought to cover the two of them up with a sheet last night after he had removed Brian's briefs and they had fucked like bunnies as Brian had so eloquently put it, or they would have been totally exposed when...

"Daddy! Papa! Look what I got!" was the excited screech as rapid footsteps approached the bed. Brian turned over onto his back and Justin sat up in their bed just in time for Gus to come running in to plop down onto the mattress, his new Easter basket bouncing up and down on the mattress as he sat facing them, Indian style. "He came!" he cried out in a high-pitched squeal. Look what he brought me!"

Brian pulled himself up into a sitting position with his back to the massive, wood headboard next to Justin, a tender look on his face as he asked, "Did he bring you some good stuff, Sonny Boy?" He could see the distinct remains of a chocolate bunny that had already been sacrificed for the cause smeared around his son's mouth.

Gus bobbed his head up and down excitedly. "He brought me my favorite candy," he told him. "And I got some new toys, too! He even brought me a couple of Grandma Deb's lemon bars." He scrunched up his face in thought. "I didn't know he knew her."

Brian grinned over at Justin. "She knows _everyone_, Gus."

"She _does_?"

Brian nodded. "She's a very important lady."

Gus hung on every word as he said, "Well, can she talk to Santa, then? He didn't bring me everything I wanted last Christmas and I want to make sure he gets it right next year."

Justin snorted in laughter as Brian told his son, "I'll try to make sure she passes that along to him, okay? So show me what he brought you."

Justin watched, his heart full of happiness, as Brian pulled Gus into his lap and he listened to the earnest-looking child excitedly describe everything he had received in his basket. It filled him with an intense emotion and a sense of completion that he had always yearned to have but had feared he might never experience. That had been long ago, though, during his and Brian's separation when he had gone off to New York. Now as he gazed over at the father and son that meant the world to him and Brian looked over at him so openly with an obvious look of love, he knew he would never get enough of what he was feeling. It was like some high that was impossible to attain but once miraculously accomplished could never be duplicated.

He glanced over to the other side of the bed, noticing that Tricky had thankfully curled up near the window in a patch of sunlight, his huge head resting on the basket which had toppled over onto its side. He grinned at the surreal, domestic scene but quickly returned his gaze back to his partner, not wanting to point out how insanely family-oriented this whole scene was.

Gus was eagerly showing his father the camouflage-colored tank and fighter jet Hot Wheel he had received as Brian told him, "You must have been a really good boy to get all that great stuff, Gus."

Gus beamed at the compliment as he told his father not-so-humbly, "I was." Brian laughed - that soft sort of amused chuckle that Justin adored - as Gus pointed out, "Tricky was really good, too. Did you see all the neat stuff that he got, too?"

Brian turned his head to peer over at the surprisingly quiet dog, wondering if perhaps the pooch might actually be mellowing a little; at the sound of his name, Tricky lifted his head and stared over at them, but for once he didn't bound over to their side and try to ingratiate himself into their space. _Nah_, he thought at last. _It's got to be an aberration..._ Nevertheless, his voice softened as he told Gus, "Yeah...He must have been good, too. Maybe his talent at tricks gave him a few extra points on the Bunny scale."

He yawned just then, having only gotten a few hours' sleep thanks to his partner feeling the urge to properly express his 'gratitude' for his own Easter basket Justin had made good on his promise, also, to give him a massage, so by the time they had made love several times and Justin had used those magic fingers of his to spread a sandlewood-scented lotion all over his body and massage each muscle group thoroughly he had been feeling absolutely boneless and totally relaxed. He knew now, though, that his and Justin's down time was about to be interrupted for the time being. As he looked at his son's radiant face, however, he decided a little lack of sleep was definitely worth it.

"Well, the Easter Bunny certainly didn't forget you, Sonny Boy," he told Gus as he affectionately ruffled his hair. "Why don't you take Tricky downstairs and let him out in the backyard for a little while? Your papa and I need to take a shower and get dressed, and then I bet someone can be talked into fixing you some of his famous banana chocolate chip waffles."

"Yay!" Gus shouted. "Will you, Papa?"

Justin grinned as he nodded. "Sure. We'll be right down, okay?"

Gus hugged his father as Brian gave him a kiss on the cheek and squeezed him gently before he let him go. As Brian set him back down on the bed, the little boy impulsively reached up to grab Justin's neck and hugged him as well, bestowing a hasty, sloppy kiss on his cheek. "I can't wait for breakfast! You're the bestest cook in the whole world!" he told him as he turned and scampered off the bed, leaving a delighted but slightly teary-eyed blond in the room. Tricky quickly rose from his place by the window, snatched up his basket by the handle, and hurried after Gus. It only took a few seconds before both men could hear footsteps hurrying down the stairs and the room was once more encased in silence. "Don't let him find anything dead out there!" Brian shouted to his son before he was out of earshot.

"Okay, Daddy!" Gus called back.

Brian laughed and reached to take Justin's hand as they sat there, their shoulders touching in silent companionship. He heard the distinctive sound of a sniffle as he linked their fingers together and caressed the soft flesh with his thumb. "You are such a sentimental twat," he told him in gentle reprimand. There was no sting behind his words, though; truth be told, Justin wasn't the only one that had been affected. He would never admit it, but he had found himself holding back a few tears of his own as he had watched his son hug and kiss his partner so openly. It made him feel inordinately proud as well as elated that his son loved his partner that deeply.

He held their clasped hands up in front of his lips to kiss Justin's knuckles. "Well, this wasn't exactly the weekend I had envisioned when I first got home," he commented dryly as their hands dropped into his lap. As Justin turned to look at him with a sympathetic smile, he admitted softly, "But I don't think I would have changed a thing."

Justin turned his head in surprise. "Even Tricky?"

Brian sighed. "Well, things would have certainly been less stressful without Cujo here," he conceded. "But he did help save someone very precious to me; and he certainly makes thing a lot _livelier _around here. Shit. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I'm beginning to get USED to that flea trap. _Temporarily_, I mean," he hastened to add before Justin got any ideas.

Justin grinned. "I won't tell a soul; your secret's safe with me, _Dad,_" he whispered as he reached up with his free hand to cup Brian's cheek and give his lips an almost chaste kiss. His heart having done a flip-flop at the word _precious, _he looked down at his and Brian's hands clasped together. They were so different: one light and pale, one sun-kissed. Somehow, though, they fit together perfectly.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! <em>


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